The EU agrees on rules for the use of artificial intelligence

2023-12-09 08:44:00, Tech CNA

Europe reached an interim agreement on Friday on rules for the use of artificial intelligence, including its use by governments to screen biometric data, as well as how to regulate artificial intelligence systems such as ChatGPT, Reuters reports.

With this political agreement, the EU appears to be on its way to becoming the first major world power to adopt laws governing artificial intelligence. Friday's agreement between EU countries and members of the European Parliament came after nearly 15 hours of negotiations that followed an almost 24-hour debate the day before.

The parties are set to work out the details in the coming days, which could change the shape of the final law.

The agreement provided for general safeguards related to the use of artificial intelligence, limitations on law enforcement use of biometric identification systems, and prohibitions on the use of artificial intelligence to manipulate or exploit user vulnerabilities.

Consumers would have the right to initiate a complaint process and receive meaningful explanations, while fines for violations would range from 7.5 to 35 million euros.

"Historic! The EU becomes the first continent to establish clear rules for the use of artificial intelligence," wrote EU Commissioner Thierry Breton on Friday on the X social network.

The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said that the rules on artificial intelligence will provide a unique legal framework to develop reliable technologies that do not compromise the security and fundamental rights of people and businesses.

The use of artificial intelligence in screening biometric data had pitted policymakers, who wanted to use it for national security and defense purposes, with EU lawmakers, who wanted to ban it, due to concerns about privacy.

Governments around the world are trying to balance the advantages of the technology, which can carry out human-like conversations, answer questions and write computer code, with the need to put up firewalls.

Ambitious European rules on artificial intelligence come as companies such as OpenAI, in which the likes of Microsoft have invested, continue to make new discoveries about how to use the technology, prompting both praise and concern.