STRASBOURG, 13th March, 2024 (WAM) -- The European Union is on the verge of enacting the most comprehensive guardrails on the fast-developing world of artificial intelligence (AI), Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.
The bloc’s parliament will vote Wednesday on the AI Act, a landmark set of rules that, in the absence of any legislation from the U.S., could set the tone for how AI is governed in the Western world.
“We’re laying out a common European vision for the future of this technology: one where AI is more democratic and safe,” lawmaker Eva Maydell said in parliament on Tuesday, “but also, I would hope, more competitive – that is if it’s done right.”
The AI Act is intended to address concerns about bias, privacy and other risks from the rapidly evolving technology. The legislation would ban the use of AI for detecting emotions in workplaces and schools, as well as limit how it can be used in high-stakes situations like sorting job applications. It would also place the first restrictions on generative AI tools, which captured the world’s attention last year with the popularity of ChatGPT.
Lawmakers during Tuesday’s debate acknowledged that there is still significant work ahead. The EU is in the process of setting up its AI Office, an independent body within the European Commission. In practice, the office will be the key enforcer, with the ability to request information from companies developing generative AI and possibly ban a system from operating in the bloc.
“The rules we have passed in this mandate to govern the digital domain — not just the AI Act — are truly historical, pioneering,” said Dragos Tudorache, one of the leading authors of the law in the parliament. “But making them all work in harmony with the desired effect and turning Europe into the digital powerhouse of the future will be the test of our lifetime.”