Negotiators in the European Parliament and the bloc’s 27 member states have overcome major differences over generative artificial, according to Sky News.
Generative artificial intelligence systems became increasingly mainstream in recent months for many reasons: they delight users with their ability to create text, photos and songs, but also raise concerns about jobs, privacy and copyright protection.
European Union negotiators have agreed on the world’s first comprehensive rules on artificial intelligence, paving the way for legal oversight of technologies used in popular generative AI services such as ChatGPT, but provided few details on what will be included in the law, which will not come into force until 2025.
Once the final version of the EU’s artificial intelligence law is drafted, the text must be approved by the bloc’s 705 politicians before they disperse for next year’s EU elections.
The EU is leading the global race to develop AI defences ahead of the US and other countries, having submitted the first draft of its rulebook in 2021, but the recent generative AI boom has forced European officials to urgently update a proposal that was meant to be a model for the rest of the world.
AI-powered facial recognition surveillance systems were the most debated topic, and after intense negotiations, they managed to find a compromise. European politicians wanted a total ban on the public use of facial scanning and other systems due to privacy concerns, while member governments wanted exceptions so that law enforcement could use them to fight serious crimes such as child sexual exploitation or terrorist attacks.
