Europe is set to implement its first law next month for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it can be used across the bloc in business and daily life, as member states endorsed on Tuesday the political deal.
The legislative act will be published in the EU´s Official Journal in the coming days and will then be enforced 20 days after that publication. The EU’s AI Act has been named “more comprehensive” than the U.S.’ voluntary compliance which President Joe Biden issued in October 2023, reported Reuters.
The law has been a work in progress since it was first drafted in 2021, by the European Commission. The spike in misinformation, fake news, and copyrighted material fueled the concerns surrounding the use of AI in the bloc.
Belgian Digitisation Minister Mathieu Michel said: “This landmark law, the first of its kind in the world, addresses a global technological challenge that also creates opportunities for our societies and economies.”
“With the AI Act, Europe emphasizes the importance of trust, transparency, and accountability when dealing with new technologies,” Michel added.
The upcoming Act also includes restrictions on governments’ use of real-time biometric surveillance in public spaces in cases of certain crimes, prevention of terrorist attacks, and searches for people suspected of the most serious crimes.
Although the AI Act is directed at the EU member states, it is expected to have a wider impact.
Patrick van Eecke from law firm Cooley explained: “Companies outside the EU who use EU customer data in their AI platforms will need to comply. Other countries and regions are likely to use the AI Act as a blueprint.”
Those who violate the new law could face fines from 7.5 – 35 million euros (8.1- 38 million dollars) depending on the nature of the breach.
The EU is not the first to create such laws, however, it is the first to have strict policies. China has regulations in place that mandate all AI software creators to have services approved before they can be used.
Within the EU, Italy has banned popular AI chatbot service ChatGPT, over privacy concerns. The European country claimed ChatGPT´s developers did not have a legal basis to justify how it collects and stores personal data.
Earlier this year, the United Nations adopted an AI resolution, which was supported by Morocco. The resolution, adopted in March, encouraged countries to safeguard human rights and protect personal data.