EU Establishes Global Standard with Groundbreaking AI Legislation

Europe's groundbreaking regulations on artificial intelligence are set to take effect next month following the endorsement of a political agreement by EU countries on Tuesday. This move positions the EU's AI Act as a potential global standard for technology used in both business and daily life.

Today, the Council of the European Union approved the EU’s AI Act. Last Friday, the 46-state Council of Europe adopted the first international legally binding treaty on AI and human rights. EU and @coe have been working hand in hand. https://t.co/bG7iUnYm6c

— Daniel Holtgen (@DanielHoltgen) May 21, 2024

'European Union Act First Of Its Kind In The World'

The European Union's AI Act, established in December, is more extensive than the United States' voluntary compliance approach, while China's strategy focuses on maintaining social stability and state control.

“This landmark law, the first of its kind in the world, addresses a global technological challenge that also creates opportunities for our societies and economies,” Belgian digitisation minister Mathieu Michel said in a statement.

“With the AI Act, Europe emphasizes the importance of trust, transparency and accountability when dealing with new technologies while at the same time ensuring this fast-changing technology can flourish and boost European innovation,” he said.

The recent vote by EU countries follows EU lawmakers' approval of the AI legislation, which was initially proposed by the European Commission in 2021 and subsequently amended.

Amid the rising popularity of generative AI systems like Microsoft-backed OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's chatbot Gemini, global concerns have intensified regarding AI's role in spreading misinformation, fake news, and copyrighted material.

The AI Act enforces strict transparency requirements for high-risk AI systems, with more lenient rules for general-purpose AI models. It also limits the use of real-time biometric surveillance by governments in public spaces to specific situations such as certain crimes, preventing terrorist attacks, and searching for individuals suspected of serious crimes.

This new legislation will have implications beyond the 27-member EU, according to Patrick van Eecke from the law firm Cooley.

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