The European Council has approved a groundbreaking law called the Artificial Intelligence Law, which aims to harmonize the rules on artificial intelligence.
This law, the first of its kind worldwide, has the potential to set a global standard for AI regulation, underscoring the importance of the EU Council’s decision.
The new law aims to encourage the development and adoption of safe and reliable AI systems by private and public actors in the EU’s single market. It also aims to ensure that the fundamental rights of EU citizens are respected and to promote investment and innovation in artificial intelligence in Europe.
The AI law only applies to areas covered by EU law and only provides exemptions for systems used for military defense and research purposes.
The adoption of the Artificial Intelligence Law is an important milestone for the European Union. This landmark law, the first of its kind worldwide, addresses a global technological challenge that creates opportunities for our societies and economies, said Mathieu Michel, Belgian Minister of State for Digitalization, Administrative Simplification and Privacy Protection.
With the Artificial Intelligence Act, Europe emphasizes the importance of trust, transparency and accountability when dealing with new technologies, while ensuring that this rapidly changing technology thrives and increases innovation in Europe.
The new law categorizes different types of AI based on risk. AI systems that pose only limited risk will be subject to very light transparency obligations.
In contrast, high-risk AI systems will be authorized but subject to requirements and obligations to gain access to the EU market. AI systems such as cognitive behavioral manipulation and social scoring will be banned from the EU because their risks are unacceptable.
The law also bans systems that use biometric data to classify people into certain categories, such as race, religion or sexual orientation, and the use of AI for predictive policing based on profiling.
