EU AI Act: first regulation on artificial intelligence | Topics | European Parliament (2024)

FAQs

Is the AI Act approved by the European Parliament? ›

On Wednesday, Parliament approved the Artificial Intelligence Act that ensures safety and compliance with fundamental rights, while boosting innovation. The regulation, agreed in negotiations with member states in December 2023, was endorsed by MEPs with 523 votes in favour, 46 against and 49 abstentions.

The law prohibits applications of AI that are considered "unacceptable" in terms of their risk level. Such applications feature so-called "social scoring" systems that rank citizens based on aggregation and analysis of their data, predictive policing and emotional recognition in the workplace and schools.

The new law aims to foster the development and uptake of safe and trustworthy AI systems across the EU's single market by both private and public actors. At the same time, it aims to ensure respect of fundamental rights of EU citizens and stimulate investment and innovation on artificial intelligence in Europe.

On 24 January 2024, the Commission proposed a regulation to amend the current legal framework (Council regulation (EU) 2021/1173), introducing an additional objective for the joint undertaking: supporting the development of an AI ecosystem in the EU by developing and operating AI factories.

Unacceptable risk AI systems are systems considered a threat to people and will be banned. They include: Cognitive behavioural manipulation of people or specific vulnerable groups: for example voice-activated toys that encourage dangerous behaviour in children.

The EU AI Act prohibits certain uses of artificial intelligence (AI). These include AI systems that manipulate people's decisions or exploit their vulnerabilities, systems that evaluate or classify people based on their social behavior or personal traits, and systems that predict a person's risk of committing a crime.

The EU AI Act in a nutshell

Its objective is to ensure the trustworthy and responsible use of AI systems across Europe. AI systems used in Europe must be safe, transparent, traceable, non-discriminatory and environmentally friendly. Their use must be overseen by people - human beings - to prevent harmful outcomes.

On March 13, 2024, the European Parliament formally adopted the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (“AI Act”) with a large majority of 523-46 votes in favor of the legislation. The AI Act is the world's first horizontal and standalone law governing AI, and a landmark piece of legislation for the EU.

A newly created AI Office at EU level will oversee the implementation and enforcement of the AI Act. The EC has exclusive powers to enforce the provisions relating to GP AI models, and it has entrusted the implementation of that task to the AI Office, which for example may conduct evaluations of the GP AI models.

The rules for governing general-purpose AI are expected to apply in early 2025. The AI Act applies a risk-based approach, dividing AI systems into different risk levels: unacceptable, high, limited and minimal risk. High-risk AI systems are permitted but subject to the most stringent obligations.

What is the jurisdiction of the EU AI Act? ›

The AI Act has extra-territorial scope. This means that organizations outside the EU will have to comply with the law in certain specified circ*mstances as well as those within the EU. The Act applies to providers, deployers, and users of AI systems.

The EU AI Act's Approach to Generative AI

Generative AI falls under the general-purpose AI systems (GPAI), a classification that acknowledges these technologies' broad and varied applications. To regulate these systems effectively, the Act implements a tiered approach.

The EU AI Act contains a three-tier risk classification model that categorizes AI systems based on the level of risk they pose to fundamental rights and user safety. The financial sector uses a multitude of models and data-driven processes which will come to rely more on AI in the future.

The White Paper proposed a regulatory framework focusing on high-risk AI applications, emphasizing protecting fundamental rights and the need for AI systems to be transparent, traceable, and under human control.

John McCarthy (1927–2011), an American computer scientist and cognitive scientist, often hailed as the "father of artificial intelligence" (AI), made significant contributions to both AI and computer science.

Non-compliance with certain AI practices can result in fines up to 35 million EUR or 7% of a company's annual turnover. Other violations can result in fines up to 15 million EUR or 3% of a company's annual turnover.

In its common position, the Council narrowed down the definition of an AI system to systems developed through machine learning approaches and logic- and knowledge-based approaches. With this narrowed-down definition, the Council wanted to make the difference between AI and simpler software systems clearer.

Its reach will extend beyond the EU, however, and affect more than just tech companies. Businesses in the UK that develop or deploy an AI system that is used in the EU will need to comply with the EU AI Act.