EU takes major step toward AI regulation as the AI Act moves into final phase

As companies dive head first into AI development, calls for regulation on the burgeoning technology have grown. So far, the EU has been leading the way with the AI Act. Now the governing body has taken a major step towards turning the AI Act into law.

On Wednesday, the European Parliament passed the first draft of the AI Act. It’s expected that the regulation will be passed sometime later this year after the European Parliament, European Commission, and Council of the EU finish negotiations.

The AI Act is a law that focuses on the safe development and application of AI, like ChatGPT and Bard. It puts restrictions on the riskiest uses of the technology, like the use of facial recognition software. The law would also require AI developers to be more transparent by disclosing the data used to create their programs.

Currently, the draft contains provisions that would prevent AI tools from generating illegal, racist, or biased content. It’s also geared toward making sure the generative AI respects international human rights laws.

If the AI Act gets put into law, it would become one of the first major laws to regulate the technology. This would put the EU squarely ahead of other countries like the US and China on this front. However, US lawmakers have recently put forth similar bills. One would require companies to be transparent when people interact with AI content. Another would require government agencies to disclose to the public when an agency is using AI.