EU gives final green light to world’s first AI rules

On Tuesday, the Council of the European Union (EU) gave the final green light to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act, the first global legislation on the technology designed to protect fundamental rights in society, which will come into force in a few weeks. .

In a statement, the European body of EU member states said it “approved today an innovative law aimed at harmonizing rules relating to artificial intelligence, the so-called AI law.”

“Flagship legislation follows a risk-based approach, meaning the higher the risk of harm to the public, the stricter the rules. This is the first law of its kind in the world and could set a global standard for AI regulation. “, emphasizes the EU Council.

Several rules are defined to classify AI systems as high-risk, with prohibitions on certain practices, inclusion of AI models for general purposes, new governance architectures, and measures to support innovation, transparency, and protection of fundamental rights.

The law also provides for fines for violations, which are set as a percentage of the offending company’s global annual turnover in the previous financial year or a predetermined amount, whichever is higher, with small and medium-sized companies and start-ups subject to fines. proportional administrative fines.

“The new law aims to promote the development and implementation of secure and reliable artificial intelligence systems in the EU single market by both private and public actors. At the same time, it aims to ensure respect for the fundamental rights of EU citizens and stimulate investment and innovation in the field of artificial intelligence in Europe,” the EU Council justifies.

The Artificial Intelligence Act only applies to areas covered by EU law and provides exceptions, such as systems used exclusively for military, defense and research purposes.

Today’s approval follows the European Parliament’s approval in mid-March of what it called a “historic law” governing AI in the EU.

Once finally adopted by the Member States (in the Council), the law will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal, with an adaptation period of two years.

Thus, it will be fully applicable 24 months after its entry into force, with the exception of prohibitions on prohibited activities (applying six months after the effective date), codes of conduct (nine months after entry into force), general AI rules. rules, including governance (12 months after entry into force) and obligations for high-risk systems (36 months).

The resolution establishes a number of obligations for AI based on its potential risks and level of impact, including bans on certain applications, restrictions on the use of biometric identification systems by law enforcement agencies, exceptions applicable to law enforcement agencies, and obligations for high-risk individuals. systems and transparency requirements.

This is the first regulation aimed at AI, although the creators and those responsible for developing this technology are already subject to European legislation on fundamental rights, consumer protection and safety regulations.