European Parliament passes 'historic' AI regulations

The European Parliament has approved new regulations governing the use of artificial intelligence (AI), passing the AI Act by 523 votes to 46.

Lawmakers who shepherded the complex legislation through the European Union's parliament described the decision as "historic."

Speaking ahead of the vote, Brando Benifei, a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Italy's Democratic Party, said: "We are finally approving from the parliament side, the AI Act…the first regulation in the world that is putting a clear path towards a safe and human-centric development of AI."

Categories of risk

The legislation divides AI systems into four risk categories, from 'unacceptable' to 'minimal.'

'Remote biometric identification systems,' which can be used to scan faces in large crowds for example, are automatically classed as high risk. Over recent years, campaigners have expressed concern about the growing use of facial recognition surveillance by governments around the world. Human Rights Watch has described the tools as "simply too dangerous and powerful to be used without negative consequences for human rights."

In contrast, the legislation includes lighter-touch regulation for AI systems classed as lower risk, such as chatbots used by businesses on their websites. In this case, users should simply be alerted that they are dealing with AI technology rather than another human.

The bill also includes exceptions for law enforcement agencies, which will be able to use higher risk systems to prevent terror attacks or identify the perpetrators of serious crimes.

Risks to Europe's tech industry

As the complex legislation worked its way through the European Parliament, the tech sector expressed concerns about tight regulations stifling investment.

France, Germany and Italy have been accused of trying to water down the legislation in Brussels to protect growing tech sectors at home.

However, one of the architects of the AI Act told reporters in Strasbourg that it strikes a balance between protecting citizens and keeping the EU competitive.

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Dragos Tudorache, a Romanian MEP, explained: "We've looked at the impact of…the benefits that artificial intelligence brings to our societies, into our economies, and I think we have a duty to recognize this potential because it is going to be the technology that will be driving us into the future."

He added: "At the same time…we realize that clearly there are risks, there are concerns about the intersection of this technology and our individual rights, and the interests of our societies."

Lawmakers also insist that tech firms will have time to adjust to the new regulations. The bill is set to come into force in May this year but compliance will not be mandatory until the spring of 2025.

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