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The European Parliament has adopted its position on the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Regulation Law. The rules would ensure that artificial intelligence developed and used in Europe fully complies with EU rights and values. The main objective is to develop AI centered on safety, privacy, transparency, non-discrimination, social well-being, and the environment.

What does the law prohibit?

The document establishes clear obligations for developers and providers of AI systems based on the level of risk the AI ​​can generate.

AI systems with an unacceptable level of risk to human safety are prohibited, such as:

· Real-time remote biometric identification systems in publicly accessible spaces;

· Remote "post" biometric identification systems (except for law enforcement for the criminal prosecution of serious offenses and only after judicial authorization);

· Biometric classification systems using sensitive characteristics (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity, citizenship status, religion, political orientation);

· Predictive policing systems (based on profiling, location, or past criminal behavior);

· Emotion recognition systems in law enforcement, border management, workplaces, and educational institutions;

· Facial image scraping systems from the internet or CCTV images to create facial recognition databases (violating human rights and the right to privacy).

Special attention is drawn to social media systems:

· Systems used to influence voters and election outcomes;

· Recommendation systems used by social media platforms.

Developers will need to assess and mitigate potential risks (for health, safety, fundamental rights, the environment, democracy, and the rule of law) and register their models in the EU Database before launching them on the EU market.

AI generative systems based on such models, such as ChatGPT, must also comply with transparency requirements by disclosing that the content was generated by artificial intelligence and providing guarantees against the generation of illegal content. Detailed summaries of copyrighted data used for their training will also need to be made public.

To stimulate innovation in AI and support SMEs, European lawmakers have added exemptions for research activities and AI components provided under open-source licenses.

The law also promotes so-called regulatory sandboxes, or real-life environments, established by public authorities to test AI before implementation.

Finally, the law will ensure citizens' right to lodge complaints about AI systems and to receive explanations regarding decisions based on high-risk AI systems that have a significant impact on their fundamental rights. And the role of the EU AI Office will also be tasked with monitoring how the AI ​​regulation is implemented.

Source: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2021/698792/EPRS_BRI(2021)698792_EN.pdf