europe-to-lead-global-ai-regulation-with-landmark-legislation-taking-effect-next-month

Europe's groundbreaking regulations on artificial intelligence (AI) will take effect next month, following the endorsement by EU countries on Tuesday of a political agreement reached in December. 

 

This move sets a potential global standard for the use of AI in various sectors, from business to daily life.

 

The European Union's AI Act stands out for its comprehensive approach compared to the United States' more lenient voluntary compliance strategy, and China's focus on maintaining social order and state control.

 

The decision by EU countries comes after EU lawmakers supported the AI legislation proposed by the European Commission in 2021, with several key adjustments.

 

Global concerns regarding AI's role in spreading misinformation, fake news, and infringing copyrighted material have escalated, especially with the rise of generative AI systems like Microsoft-backed OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's chatbot Gemini.

 

Belgian digitization minister Mathieu Michel hailed the AI Act as a landmark law, addressing a universal technological challenge while also presenting opportunities for societal and economic growth.

 

He emphasized Europe's commitment to trust, transparency, and accountability in managing new technologies, while strengthening innovation.

 

The AI Act imposes stringent transparency requirements on high-risk AI systems, with lighter obligations for general-purpose AI models. It also limits governments' use of real-time biometric surveillance in public spaces, reserving it for specific crimes, terrorism prevention, and pursuit of serious criminals.

 

The impact of the new legislation will extend beyond the EU's borders, according to Patrick van Eecke of law firm Cooley. He noted that companies outside the EU using EU customer data in their AI platforms will need to comply, and anticipates other countries and regions adopting similar frameworks, akin to the GDPR's influence on privacy regulations.

 

Although the AI Act will officially apply in 2026, bans on certain AI applications, such as social scoring, predictive policing, and untargeted scraping of facial images, will take effect six months after the regulation's enactment.

 

Obligations for general-purpose AI models will follow after 12 months, with rules for AI systems integrated into regulated products becoming effective in 36 months.