Europe Inks Landmark AI Regulation Deal By CIOTechOutlook Team

Europe Inks Landmark AI Regulation Deal

CIOTechOutlook Team | Saturday, 09 December 2023, 06:53 IST

Europe has struck a regulation agreement on historic European Union rules controlling the use of artificial intelligence, including how governments can use AI in biometric surveillance and how to regulate AI systems like ChatGPT.

With the political agreement, the EU moves toward becoming the first major world power to enact laws governing AI. Friday's deal between EU countries and European Parliament members came after nearly 15 hours of negotiations that followed an almost 24-hour debate the previous day. The two sides are set to hash out details in the coming days, which could change the shape of the final legislation, as per economic times

"Europe has positioned itself as a pioneer, understanding the importance of its role as a global standard setter. This is yes, I believe, a historical day," European Commissioner Thierry Breton told a press conference.

The agreement requires foundation models such as ChatGPT and general purpose AI systems (GPAI) to meet transparency requirements before they are released to the public. These include creating technical documentation, adhering to EU copyright legislation, and publishing detailed summaries of training content. High-impact foundation models with systemic risk must conduct model reviews, analyze and manage systemic risks, conduct adversarial testing, report major incidents to the European Commission, assure cybersecurity, and report on energy efficiency.

To comply with the new regulation, GPAIs with systemic risk may rely on codes of practice. Governments can only utilize real-time biometric surveillance in public settings to identify victims of specific crimes, to prevent genuine, current, or foreseeable dangers such as terrorist attacks, and to search for those suspected of the most serious crimes.