The European Parliament approves the law on the use of artificial intelligence

2023-06-17 19:10:31, Tech CNA

The European Parliament passed a law on artificial intelligence a few days ago, which places restrictions on how this technology can be used by companies and law enforcement. Meanwhile, the US Department of Homeland Security is looking into using artificial intelligence to help identify goods made with child and forced labor.

The law approved by the European Parliament classifies artificial intelligence systems based on four levels of risk, from minimal to unacceptable. One of his controversial amendments that would have allowed police to collect biometric data in real time was rejected.

Under the law, for using artificial intelligence in higher-risk situations, such as targeting children, companies will face stronger rules, including a higher level of transparency and more accurate use of data.

For violating this law, companies can be fined up to $33 million or 6 percent of their annual revenue, which in the case of tech companies like Google and Microsoft can reach billions of dollars. The law prohibits the use of human identification programs in public spaces.

In the United States, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has established a new task force to explore ways artificial intelligence can help detect and prevent goods made with forced labor from entering the United States. This effort comes in response to concerns that every year millions of people around the world are forced to work in harsh working conditions, including 160 million children between the ages of 5 and 17, according to the latest figures from the International Labor Organization and UNICEF.

"We will try to use artificial intelligence to better control cargo, identify the importation of goods produced with forced labor and manage risk," he said.

Addressing the problem at its source would be a big help, says Thea Lee, the US Department of Labor's deputy secretary for international affairs.

"For example, observing the mining process of cobalt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is exported to China, where it is used to make electric car batteries, which you can also find in electric cars in the United States." , she says.

The artificial intelligence task force will report its findings to Department of Homeland Security leaders in the coming months.

While artificial intelligence can be useful, experts warn that it is not yet infallible and should be used with caution.

"I know that artificial intelligence must learn the environment in which it operates. If this technology tries to learn a terrain like China, where getting accurate information is hard work, who's going to verify that the information being learned by artificial intelligence is actually accurate?" Allen Gina, former - US Assistant Commissioner for Customs and Border Protection.

What is needed in addition to technology is will, says Thea Lee.