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These intense and complex conversations had a simple purpose in mind: to legislate on the urgent need to regulate AI in Europe. On February 2nd, an agreement was reached, and a raft of official legislation awaits publication by its member countries.
Last year, France and Germany raised important questions about copyright protection and support for small and medium-sized AI companies. These concerns, which highlight the need to strike a balance between technological innovation and the protection of individual and collective rights, have been heard.
"The AI law has unleashed passions, and rightly so! Today, the Member States have approved the December political agreement, recognizing the perfect balance struck by the negotiators between innovation and security", declared Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner in charge of the case in Parliament. He concluded his speech with a symbolic phrase that will speak to all: "The EU is AI".
The creation of the AI Act was also hailed by the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council as a major step forward. "This AI Act is a milestone, establishing the world's first rules for artificial intelligence, to make it safer and more respectful of fundamental rights in the EU", said Charles Michel.
This legislation, which aims to establish a clear and coherent regulatory framework for the development, deployment, and use of AI in the EU, should then promote innovation and business competitiveness on the European scene.
ChatGPT, developed by Californian start-up OpenAI, was on everyone's lips. Capable of autonomously generating text, the application aroused unanimous enthusiasm for its creative potential, but also serious concerns about its ethical and social implications. The AI Act seeks to establish standards of transparency, responsibility, and security to guarantee healthy and competitive use of its system: as a reminder, in 2023, Open AI accumulated over 1.6 billion dollars in revenue.
Another aim is to protect copyright and intellectual property in the context of generative AI, where algorithms can create autonomous artistic and literary works. Developers will thus be required to ensure that works produced by AI systems are clearly identifiable as artificial, thus preventing confusion and potential plagiarism conflict.
Italy, which was the first country to ban ChatGpt last year, announcing artificial intelligence was too much of a risk for its population, has also been a major contributor to this joint effort.
The AI Act provides indeed specific measures for AI systems deemed "high-risk", particularly in sensitive areas such as health, education, critical infrastructure and law enforcement. This is a vital decision, in order to reflect the EU's core values of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.
The AI Act sends a strong signal to international government organizations, who should also consider proposing at the very least short-term solutions to reduce the risks posed by artificial intelligence to their populations and economies. With this act, the world seems to be moving towards a common goal: to make the use of AI responsible and ethical, in order to promote human well-being and social progress.
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