European Union Reaches Landmark Deal on World's First AI Legislation
EU negotiators finalize a provisional agreement on the AI Act, creating the first-ever dedicated legal framework for artificial intelligence. The law uses a risk-based approach to ensure AI systems remain safe, trustworthy, and respectful of fundamental rights.
European Union negotiators reach a historic provisional agreement on the AI Act, establishing the world's first dedicated legal framework for artificial intelligence. This groundbreaking legislation sets a global precedent similar to the impact of the GDPR, aiming to ensure that AI systems operating within the EU are safe, legal, and trustworthy while respecting fundamental human rights.
The new law utilizes a risk-based approach that categorizes artificial intelligence systems into four distinct levels. Systems posing minimal or no risk continue operating without additional regulation, while those with limited risks face light transparency obligations to help users make informed decisions. High-risk AI systems face stringent requirements to access the EU market, and any systems posing unacceptable risks face outright bans.
Under this framework, prohibited applications include cognitive manipulation, predictive policing, emotion recognition in workplaces and schools, social scoring, and certain types of remote biometric identification. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praises the agreement as a way to transpose European values into a new era, fostering responsible innovation while guaranteeing safety for people and businesses across the region.