The European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs has reached a preliminary agreement on the proposed Artificial Intelligence Act. The draft legislation aims to regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the European Union and promote the development of trustworthy and ethical AI. The agreement includes provisions for prohibiting AI systems that manipulate human behavior, such as social scoring, and requiring high-risk AI systems to undergo strict conformity assessments before they can be marketed or used in the EU. The proposed act also imposes transparency requirements, including a mandatory data and documentation disclosure for AI systems, and specifies penalties for non-compliance.
According to a report by Reuters, the proposed legislation also includes a ban on certain types of AI systems, such as those used for “real-time” facial recognition in public places, unless they meet certain criteria such as public safety, national security, and the search for missing children.
The proposed AI Act has been described as a “world first” in terms of comprehensive regulation of AI, and its potential impact extends beyond the EU. As reported by Forbes, the legislation could create a global standard for the ethical and transparent use of AI, influencing the development and use of AI systems in other parts of the world.
The proposal will now move on to the full European Parliament and Council of the European Union for further discussion and amendments before it can be passed into law.
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