European Parliament approves ‘AI act’

On the same day that the EU once again placed Google under martial law, it also voted to regulate AI technology. The law, also known as the ‘AI act’, also puts the EU on a collision course with (mostly American) tech giants. The package of laws should mainly help to protect European citizens against the potential dangers of the new technology. Fears about the potential dangers of “AI” are widespread. Even according to people who stood at the cradle of the technology. “AI” offers plenty of options for people who want to spread disinformation and often leads to discrimination. Do the new European laws provide the answer?

EU on steam

In the US, discussions about regulation of the “AI” market have so far bogged down in the quagmire of the US Congress. Couple this with Silicon Valley’s “Move fast and break things” approach, and it makes a potential recipe for a lot of disaster. A situation that European legislators apparently want to avoid. Systems that provide government agencies with a model that says they can predict criminal behavior (yes, literally minority report Pre-Crime-like scenes) and technologies that have no other purpose than to mislead people are prohibited by the new laws.

It fits in with the EU’s risk-based approach. Is the potential for abuse too high? Then a line goes through it. Tools that can influence elections, algorithms that serve you all kinds of things and generative “AI”. It all has to pass the inspection.

Mitigate risks

The latter in particular is squarely in the crosshairs of the ‘AI act’. The technology has exploded in the past year. ChatGPT, Bard, DALL-E, the list goes on. All tools that can generate material that can pass for real to the untrained eye. With all its consequences.

The most important provision in the legislative package states that companies that offer content in the EU that is (partly) made with “AI” must be provided with a label. Another important requirement is that developers of “AI” tools publish summaries of the data they used to train their software. In this way it can be enforced that these companies comply with copyright laws.

That the laws are not an empty threat is proven by the fact that the creator of ChatGPT has already announced that the company may withdraw from the EU. As the Americans say: ‘Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!’

Law has yet to be approved by member states

We’re not there yet. The law has been approved by the European Parliament. Now we first have to enter into a debate with the individual Member States. Only when they have all agreed can the legislation be introduced. The hope is that this process can be completed before the end of this calendar year.

If the law is introduced in its current form, there is a good chance that it will have consequences for the global market. As mentioned earlier, the US is lagging behind in terms of legislation for the time being. But that’s not just the case in the US. The EU positions itself as a leader in regulating the tech industry.

EU at the forefront in the fight against ‘Big Tech’

Good example follows. Legislators worldwide often take example from the laws of the EU. But it doesn’t just have to come from the legislative side. Given the size of the European market, it is often cheaper and easier for companies to implement changes that are made to EU legislation worldwide.

As soon as the ‘AI act’ is passed, the EU will gain another weapon in its now considerable arsenal. The new laws therefore do not stand alone. However, it must ensure that “AI”, simply a new technology, cannot fall through the cracks of the law and that the laws already in force are adhered to. The enormous pace of developments in the field of “AI” makes Parliament want to speed things up. Negotiations have been going on with companies about “AI” for years. There are also a number of agreements on the table. But these are optional. Twitter, for example, has already indicated that it does not care. When the law is introduced across the EU, the choice to respect the rights of European citizens will no longer be optional.