On Thursday, European legislators approved stronger draft regulations to regulate artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT.
The EU’s AI Act will regulate facial recognition, biometric surveillance, and other AI applications. After two years of talks, parliamentarians will finalize the bill with the European Commission and member states.
“It is a delicate deal,” said Dragos Tudorache, one of the MEPs crafting the regulations, before two MPs’ committees voted. But it’s a deal that delivers something to everyone who negotiated.” Our civilizations expect us to act on artificial intelligence and its effects. “It’s enough to turn on the TV… in the last two or three months, and every day you see how important this is becoming for citizens.”
The ideas classify AI tools from low to unacceptable danger. Therefore, risk-based requirements apply to governments and enterprises employing these instruments.
German MEP Svenja Hahn told Reuters that negotiations compelled conservative and left-wing MEPs to compromise. “We found a compromise that regulates AI proportionately, protects civil rights, and boosts innovation and the economy,” she said.
MEPs voted Thursday morning to outlaw public facial recognition, predictive policing, and generative AI applications like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
“This vote is a milestone in regulating AI, and a clear signal from the Parliament that fundamental rights should be a cornerstone of that,” Greens MEP Kim van Sparrentak told Reuters. “AI should serve people, society, and the environment, not the other way around.”
In June, the European Parliament will vote on the bill before “trilogue” talks with the Council of the European Union and the European Commission. After the measure passes, affected parties will have two years to comply with the restrictions.
“The European Parliament must enter the trilogue with the strongest possible position to protect the rights of all people inside and entering the EU,” said EU policy analyst Caterina Rodelli of the non-profit Access Now.
