In the anarchic landscape of Artificial Intelligence usage, nations around the globe are grappling with the urgent requirement of legal scaffolding. With the ascendance of AI capabilities, governments and policy makers tangibly feel the pressure to regulate its use.
Significant powerhouses including the European Union, the United States, United Kingdom, and China are all in various stages of deliberating and introducing fresh sets of rules for AI.
Without a doubt, these nascent regulations will impact not only local operations, but also cross-border activities of multinational corporations. Legal professionals working for large global entities should be vigilant about these changes to anticipate any effects on their organization’s operations.
- The European Union, on the mantle of leading AI ethics discourse, has been active in promulgating regulations. It has issued high-level Guidelines on Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in addition to the European Commission’s detailed Proposal for a Regulation on a legal framework for Artificial Intelligence.
- The United States continues to be reactive at the federal level, yet proactive with independent federal agencies and individual states such as California advancing their own legislation. Notably, the Federal Trade Commission has issued directives on using artificial intelligence and algorithms.
- The United Kingdom, post-Brexit, is charting its own course. They’ve announced a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy aimed at turning the stellar local research and development into economic growth, while ensuring legal compliance.
- China, meanwhile, is advancing huge strides forward in the AI field by introducing several new laws relating to data security and protection, that are anticipated to imminently enter into effect. Their vast, detailed legislation is set to change circumstances markedly for businesses operating in the region.
The legal landscape for AI is fluid and dynamic. In this light, it becomes essential for legal professionals serving globally active businesses to keep a close watch on not just the rules in nations they operate, but also in those likely to influence global norms in AI, such as the four aforementioned jurisdictions. Depending on how legal developments in these jurisdictions evolve and influence one another, we may see very different sets of rules shaping the use, development and impact of AI. For a more detailed look into the Global AI Governance Principles, refer to the full publication by Hogan Lovells on JD Supra.