European Union lawmakers poised to lead way with Artificial Intelligence Act

EUROPEAN Union legislators are set to give final approval to the 27-nation bloc’s artificial intelligence law, putting the world-leading rules on track to take effect later this year.

Members of the European Parliament are poised to vote in favour of the Artificial Intelligence Act five years after they were first proposed.

The AI Act is expected to act as a global signpost for other governments grappling with how to regulate the fast-developing technology.

Dragos Tudorache, a Romanian lawmaker who was a co-leader of the Parliament negotiations on thedraftlaw,said:“TheAIActhas nudged the future of AI in a humancentric direction, in a direction where humans are in control of the technology and where it — the technology — helps us leverage new discoveries, economic growth, societal progress and unlock human potential.”

Big tech companies generally have supported the need to regulate AI while lobbying to ensure any rules work in their favour.

OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman caused a minor stir last year when he suggested the ChatGPT maker could pull out of Europe if it cannot comply with the AI Act – before backtracking to say there were no plans to leave.

Like many EU regulations, the AI Act was initially intended to act as consumer safety legislation, taking a “risk-based approach” to products or services that use artificial intelligence. The riskier an AI application, the more scrutiny it faces. Low-risk systems, such as content recommendation systems or spam filters, will only face light rules such as revealing that they are powered by AI. The EU expects most AI systems to fall into this category.

High-risk uses of AI, such as in medical devices or critical infrastructure like water or electrical networks, face tougher requirements like using high-quality data and providing clear information to users.