European Parliament and Council negotiators have reached a provisional agreement on the Artificial Intelligence Act, marking a significant step toward ensuring the responsible use of AI in Europe. The legislation aims to strike a balance between innovation and the protection of fundamental rights, democracy, and environmental sustainability.
Under the agreement, several applications of AI are banned, including biometric categorization systems that use sensitive personal characteristics, untargeted scraping of facial images for facial recognition databases, emotion recognition in workplaces and educational institutions, and social scoring based on personal characteristics. Additionally, AI systems that manipulate human behavior to circumvent free will and exploit vulnerabilities, such as age or disability, are prohibited.
Law enforcement exemptions were carefully defined, allowing for the use of biometric identification systems in publicly accessible spaces for law enforcement purposes but subject to judicial authorization and strict limitations.
For high-risk AI systems, mandatory fundamental rights impact assessments are required, and citizens have the right to launch complaints and receive explanations regarding decisions made by such systems. General artificial intelligence systems must adhere to transparency requirements, and high-impact models with systemic risk face more stringent obligations, including model evaluations, risk assessments, and reporting.
To support innovation and SMEs, the agreement promotes regulatory sandboxes and real-world testing. Non-compliance with the rules can lead to substantial fines.
This landmark legislation positions the EU as a pioneer in regulating AI development, safeguarding citizens’ rights and interests while fostering innovation. The agreement will undergo formal adoption by both Parliament and Council to become EU law, marking a significant milestone in AI governance.
Source and more information: European Parliament
