EU Parliament waves through first AI law – that’s changing

Within the EU, certain regulations will apply to artificial intelligence in the future. Because the European Parliament has passed the first AI law. Among other things, it includes certain requirements for language models such as ChatGPT and facial recognition using AI software.

The EU Parliament has passed the first official AI law for Europe. This emerges from a current press release. Accordingly, in the future there will be, among other things, a labeling requirement. Specifically, this means: Text, images and sounds based on artificial intelligence must be marked accordingly so as not to mislead.

First AI law for Europe

The members of the EU Parliament approved the AI ​​law with a large majority. The FDP had expressed concerns at the last minute, but then agreed to the rules after the traffic light coalition had reached an agreement.

Due to reservations from both Germany and France, the decision was in limbo for weeks. However, an agreement has now been reached. Critics initially complained, among other things, that the hurdles were too high for start-ups such as the Heidelberg-based company Aleph Alpha.

This has now apparently been overcome. Thierry Breton, the EU's lead internal market commissioner, described the new rules as “historic”. According to him, it is the first AI law in the world.

Artificial Intelligence Law: This is changing

The regulations stipulate that so-called “risky” applications will be subject to stricter regulations in the future. This applies, among other things, to facial recognition using AI in public places such as train stations. From now on, a court order will be required for this.

The law, in turn, fundamentally prohibits mass surveillance with biometric data like in China. In addition, EU citizens should have the right to “file complaints about AI systems and receive explanations about decisions based on high-risk AI systems that affect their rights.”

The recognition of emotions at work and at school using AI, as well as the police creation of AI profiles, will also be banned. The same applies to artificial intelligence that manipulates human behavior or exploits people's vulnerabilities.

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