{"id":72924,"date":"2024-02-02T16:46:05","date_gmt":"2024-02-02T16:46:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/02\/eus-ai-act-passes-last-big-hurdle-on-the-way-to-adoption-techcrunch\/"},"modified":"2024-02-02T16:46:05","modified_gmt":"2024-02-02T16:46:05","slug":"eus-ai-act-passes-last-big-hurdle-on-the-way-to-adoption-techcrunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/02\/eus-ai-act-passes-last-big-hurdle-on-the-way-to-adoption-techcrunch\/","title":{"rendered":"EU’s AI Act passes last big hurdle on the way to adoption | TechCrunch"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The European Union\u2019s AI Act, a risk-based plan for regulating applications of artificial intelligence<\/a>, has passed what looks to be the final big hurdle standing in the way of adoption after Member State representatives today voted to confirm the final text of the draft law.<\/p>\n

The development follows the political agreement reached in December<\/a> \u2014 clinched after marathon \u2018final\u2019 three-way talks between EU co-legislators which stretched over several days. After that, the work to turn agreed positions on scrappy negotiation sheets into a final compromise text for lawmakers approval kicked off \u2014 culminating in today\u2019s Coreper vote affirming the draft rules.<\/p>\n

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\ud83d\udcdd Signed! <\/p>\n

Coreper I Ambassadors confirmed the final compromise text found on the proposal on harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (#AIAct<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The AI Act is a milestone, marking the 1st rules for AI in the \ud83c\udf0d, aiming to make it safe & in respect of \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa fundamental rights. pic.twitter.com\/QUe2Sr89A5<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2024 (@EU2024BE) February 2, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

The planned regulation sets out a list of prohibited uses of AI (aka unacceptable risk), such as using AI for social scoring; brings in some governance rules for high risk uses (where AI apps might harm health, safety, fundamental rights, environment, democracy and the rule of law) and for the most powerful general purpose\/foundational models deemed to pose \u201csystemic risk\u201d; and applies transparency requirements on apps like AI chatbots. But \u2018low risk\u2019 applications of AI will not be in scope of the law.<\/p>\n

The vote affirming the final text will lead to a huge sign of relief across much of Brussels. Ongoing opposition to the risk-based AI regulation, led by France \u2014 fuelled by a desire to avoid legal limits standing in the way of blitzscaling homegrown generative AI startups like Mistral AI<\/a> into national champions that might challenge the rise of US AI giants \u2014 had threatened the possibility of the regulation being derailed, even at this late stage.<\/p>\n

In the event, all 27 ambassadors of EU Member States gave the text their unanimous backing.<\/p>\n

Had the vote failed there was a risk of the whole regulation foundering, with limited time for any re-negotiations \u2014 given looming European elections and the end of the current Commission\u2019s mandate later this year.<\/p>\n

In terms of adopting the draft law, the baton now passes back to the European Parliament where lawmakers, in committee and plenary, will also get a final vote on the compromise text. But given the biggest backlash was coming from a handful of Member States (Germany and Italy were also linked to doubts about the AI Act putting obligations on so-called foundation models), these upcoming votes look academic. And the EU\u2019s flagship AI Act should be adopted as law in the coming months.<\/p>\n

Once adopted, the Act will enter into force 20 days after publication in the EU\u2019s Official Journal. There will then be a tiered implementation period before the new rules apply to in-scope apps and AI models \u2014 with six months\u2019 grace before a list of banned uses of AI set out in the regulation start applying (likely around fall).<\/p>\n

The phased entry into force also allows a year before applying rules on foundational models (aka general purpose AIs) \u2014 so not until 2025. The bulk of the rest of the rules won\u2019t apply until two years after the law\u2019s publication.<\/p>\n

The Commission has already moved to begin setting up an AI Office that will oversee the compliance of a subset of more powerful foundational models deemed to pose systemic risk. It also recently announced a package of measures intended to boost the prospects of homegrown AI developers, including retooling the bloc\u2019s network of supercomputers<\/a> to support generative AI model training.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cHistoric, world first, pioneering\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The #AIAct<\/a> unleashed a lot of passion\u2026and rightly so!<\/p>\n

Today all 27 Member States endorsed the political agreement reached in December \u2014 recognising the perfect balance found by the negotiators between innovation & safety.<\/p>\n

EU means AI!\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa pic.twitter.com\/dPNeOpLBnT<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) February 2, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n