The EU Parliament has passed a comprehensive Artificial Intelligence Act to ensure safety,
compliance with fundamental rights, and boost innovation.
The newly approved regulation aims to protect fundamental rights, democracy, the rule of law, and environmental sustainability from “high-risk AI” while strengthening innovation
in Europe. The Act sets out obligations for AI based on their potential risks and impact levels, banning certain applications that threaten citizens’ rights.
Some of the prohibited AI applications include biometric categorization systems based on sensitive characteristics and untargeted scraping of facial images for facial recognition databases.
Additionally, the Act forbids emotion recognition in workplaces and schools, social scoring, predictive policing solely based on profiling, and AI that manipulates human behavior or exploits vulnerabilities.
Specific obligations are outlined for high-risk AI systems, including those related to critical infrastructure, education, employment, and essential services.
The Act also introduces stringent requirements for General-purpose AI systems and their models, emphasizing transparency and compliance with copyright laws.
Measures to support innovation and SMEs
The regulation mandates the establishment of regulatory sandboxes and real-world testing at the national level to facilitate the development and training of innovative AI for SMEs and start-ups.
In a statement, co-rapporteur Brando Benifei emphasized the protection of workers and citizens’ rights, with a focus on human beings and European values in AI development.
The AI regulation is pending final checks and is expected to be formally adopted soon, after which it will come into effect gradually over the next few years.
For more information on AI regulations, experts recently discussed the topic in-depth, addressing its impact on healthcare.
