The European Parliament Approves Groundbreaking AI Legislation
The European Parliament has approved the world’s first comprehensive framework for constraining the risks of artificial intelligence (AI). The AI Act works by classifying products according to risk and adjusting scrutiny accordingly. The law’s creators said it would make the tech more “human-centric.”
“The AI act is not the end of the journey but the starting point for new governance built around technology,” MEP Dragos Tudorache added. This legislation places the EU at the forefront of global attempts to address the dangers associated with AI, surpassing the efforts of other regions like China and the US.
Key Features of the AI Act
The main idea of the law is to regulate AI based on its capacity to cause harm to society. The higher the risk, the stricter the rules. AI applications that pose a “clear risk to fundamental rights” will be banned, while high-risk AI systems used in critical infrastructure, education, healthcare, law enforcement, border management, or elections will have to comply with strict requirements.
Low-risk services, such as spam filters, will face lighter regulation. The Act also addresses risks posed by generative AI tools and chatbots, requiring transparency about the material used to train models and compliance with copyright law.
Businesses are already preparing to comply with the legislation, seeking legal certainty and guidance on scaling AI technologies. More than 300 firms have reached out to experts for assistance in navigating the new regulatory landscape.
Overall, the adoption of the AI Act signifies the beginning of a new era in AI governance and establishes the EU as the global standard for trustworthy AI.
