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EU lawmakers have agreed the terms of a landmark law regulating artificial intelligence, creating the world’s most restrictive regime for the development of artificial intelligence technology.
EU Commissioner Thierry Breton confirmed in a post to X that an agreement had been reached, calling it a historic agreement. “The EU will be the first continent to set clear rules for the use of AI,” he wrote. “The AI Act is much more than just a rulebook, it is the starting point for EU start-ups and researchers to lead the global AI race.”
The agreement follows years of debate between member states and members of the European Parliament over how AI should be reined in to keep the interests of humanity at the heart of legislation. This was announced after a marathon debate that began on Wednesday this week.
Details of the acquisition were not yet disclosed after the announcement. Breton said lawmakers had agreed on a two-tiered approach across the EU: “transparency requirements for all general-purpose AI models (such as ChatGPT)” and “stronger requirements for powerful models that influence systems.” Stated.
Brereton said the rule would put safeguards against the use of AI technology while avoiding “undue burden” on companies.
In the new rules, lawmakers agreed to sharply limit the use of facial recognition technology, with narrow law enforcement exceptions.
The bill includes the use of AI for “social scoring” (using metrics to prove how respectable someone is) and the use of AI for “social scoring” (using metrics to prove how respectable someone is) and “human It also includes a ban on AI systems that “manipulate the behavior of people”.
It is also prohibited to use AI to exploit people who are vulnerable due to age, disability or economic situation.
Companies that do not comply with the rules face fines of 35 million euros, equivalent to 7% of global revenue.
Some technical groups were dissatisfied. Cecilia Bornfeld Dahl, Executive Director of DigitalEurope, which represents the continent’s technology sector, said: We fully supported a risk-based approach based on the use of AI rather than the technology itself, but last-minute attempts to regulate the underlying model have turned this idea on its head.
“Along with other sweeping new laws like data laws, the new requirements will require more resources for companies to comply with, and those resources will be spent on lawyers instead of hiring AI engineers. I guess.”
MEPs have been debating their position for years before negotiations began with member states and the EU’s executive body, the European Commission. All three parties – state ministries, parliamentarians and committees – agreed on the final text on Friday night, allowing the bill to become law.
European companies have expressed concern that overly restrictive rules for OpenAI’s ChatGPT, a technology that is rapidly evolving and gaining momentum following its widespread adoption, will stifle innovation. Dozens of Europe’s biggest companies, including France’s Airbus and Germany’s Siemens, said in June that the rules were too strict to foster innovation and support local industry.
Last month, the UK hosted a summit on AI safety, which led to a broad commitment from 28 countries to work together to tackle the existential risks posed by advanced AI. The event brought together leading technologists such as OpenAI’s Sam Altman, who has long been critical of the EU’s plans to regulate the technology.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, praised lawmakers for reaching a political agreement on AI rules.
She said: “This is a historic moment. The AI Law will transform European values into a new era.”
She added: “Until this law is fully applied, we will continue to support businesses and developers to stay ahead of the new rules.” Around 100 companies have already expressed interest in joining our AI pact. The Act commits companies to voluntarily fulfill key obligations of the Act in advance of the legal deadline. ”