European Union officials have successfully hammered out a preliminary agreement, marking a historic milestone as the world’s first comprehensive laws governing the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Following intense negotiations lasting 36 hours, the deal encompasses regulations for AI systems like ChatGPT and facial recognition.
The proposed AI Act, slated for a vote in the European Parliament early next year, is set to usher in a new era of AI governance.
However, the actual implementation of the legislation is not expected until at least 2025.
Simultaneously, the US, UK, and China are all in a race to unveil their own AI guidelines.
The outlined regulations encompass safeguards to govern AI use within the EU, with specific limitations on its adoption by law enforcement agencies.
Notably, consumers would be granted the right to file complaints, and fines could be levied for any breaches of the regulations.
EU Commissioner Thierry Breton emphasized the significance of these plans, describing them as “historic” and asserting that they establish “clear rules for the use of AI.”
Beyond being a mere rulebook, he sees it as a catalyst for EU startups and researchers to take the lead in the global AI race.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen echoed these sentiments, stating that the AI Act would foster the development of technology that poses no threat to people’s safety and rights.
In a social media post, she hailed it as a “unique legal framework for the development of AI you can trust.”
The European Parliament’s definition of AI focuses on software capable of generating outputs, such as content, predictions, recommendations, or decisions, to achieve human-defined objectives.
“Generative” AI, exemplified by programs like ChatGPT and DALL-E, learns from extensive data sets to create new content that mimics human creation.
ChatGPT engages in text conversations, while DALL-E translates simple text instructions into images.
As the EU sets the stage for comprehensive AI regulation, the global landscape anticipates further developments in AI governance.
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