The European Union (EU) made a significant stride in the regulatory landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) stating that the Council of the European Union has unanimously approved the world’s first landmark AI legislation, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act. This legislation is poised to come into effect 20 days after its publication in the EU’s official journal.
“Today was in fact – without exaggerating – a historic day. We adopted the AI act, the first law of its kind in the world that ensures human-centric, innovative, and safe artificial intelligence for our citizens and businesses,” said Belgian deputy prime minister and minister for telecommunications, Petra De Sutter.
Emphasizing a “risk-based” approach in its regulation, the AI Act intends to tighten rules in correlation with the risk factor. The Act will classify various types and systems of AI as per the potential risks they present. For effective enforcement of the Act, the council has also established different governing bodies: an AI office, a scientific panel of independent experts, an AI board, and an advisory forum for stakeholders. It also intends to address and regulate the use of general-purpose AI models.
A provisional deal related to the AI Act was agreed upon by the Council of the EU and the European Parliament in December 2023, followed by its official pass by Parliament earlier this year. The act’s recent approval marked the concluding hurdle before it became law. The AI Act is the first of its kind and aims to harmonise rules on artificial intelligence.
The AI Act aims to “improve the functioning of the internal market” by providing a “uniform legal framework” for AI systems. This, in turn, will create safeguards for natural persons, more specifically relating to individuals’ health, safety, and fundamental rights protected by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, including democracy, the rule of law, and environmental protection. Additionally, the AI Act assures that artificial intelligence adheres to vital EU legislations including Article 2 and Article 6 of the Treaty on European Union.
“The adoption of the AI Act is a significant milestone for the European Union. This landmark law, the first of its kind in the world, addresses a global technological challenge that also creates opportunities for our societies and economies,” said Belgian secretary of state for digitization, administrative simplification, privacy protection and building regulation, Mathieu Michel.