Following a crucial vote on Thursday where they approved stricter draft laws, European legislators moved closer to implementing new regulations governing AI technologies like ChatGPT.
With new regulations surrounding the use of facial recognition, biometric surveillance, and other AI uses the highly anticipated European Union AI Act appears to be on track to become the first complete legislation in the world overseeing the technology.
The bill is now anticipated to advance to the next stage of the procedure, in which parliamentarians finalize its specifics with the European Commission and individual member states, after two years of talks.
One of the parliamentarians (MEPs) in charge of writing the laws, Dragos Tudorache, stated in a statement prior to the voting by two legislative committees: “It is a difficult business. However, I believe it is a package that benefits everyone who took part in the negotiations.
“Our societies anticipate that we will take decisive action about artificial intelligence and its effects on their life. You only need to turn on the TV to realize how significant this has become for residents over the past two to three months.
According to the proposals, AI tools will be ranked from low to unacceptable in terms of perceived risk. Depending on the level of risk, governments and businesses employing these tools will have varying responsibilities.
Conservative and left-wing MEPs were compelled to compromise during negotiations, according to German MEP Svenja Hahn, who spoke to reporters. We were able to reach a solution that would regulate AI fairly, safeguard civil rights, foster innovation, and grow the economy, she said.
In a vote on Thursday morning, MEPs decided to impose additional transparency regulations on generative AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and to outlaw the use of facial recognition in public places.
According to Greens MEP Kim van Sparrentak, “This vote is a milestone in regulating AI and a clear signal from the Parliament that fundamental rights should be a cornerstone of that.” Rather than the other way around, “AI should serve people, society, and the environment.”
Before final details are agreed upon in “trilogue” discussions involving representatives of the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission, the bill will be submitted to a vote in the European Parliament’s plenary in June.
There would be a two-year grace period once the terms are agreed upon and the legislation is passed so that impacted parties may comply with the rules.
According to Caterina Rodelli, an EU policy analyst at the nonprofit Access Now, “The European Parliament must enter the trilogue with the strongest position to protect the rights of all people inside and entering the EU.”
