The European Parliament is setting the European roadmap for Artificial Intelligence regulation, focusing on strengthening relationships with the U.S. and other allies to be able to settle global standards.
On Tuesday, May 3, the European Parliament adopted with 495 votes to 34 the final recommendations of its Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age (AIDA). The report notes that the EU has fallen behind in the global race for tech leadership, but the real risk is that standards will be developed by “non-democratic actors,” clearly referring to China — which is the other country, together with the U.S., leading the race in AI development. The MEPs believe that the EU needs to act as a global standard-setter in AI.
The report stresses that AI technologies could pose important ethical and legal questions, and voices concerns about military research and technological developments into lethal autonomous weapon systems. The parliament also pointed out that certain AI technologies enable the automation of information processing at an unprecedented scale, paving the way for potential mass surveillance and other unlawful interference in fundamental rights. MEPs warn that “authoritarian regimes can apply AI systems to control, exert mass surveillance and rank their citizens or restrict freedom of movement, while dominant tech platforms use AI to obtain more personal information.”
In view of these possible risks, the EU Parliament encouraged “like-minded democracies” to work together to shape the international debate, and if possible, the future standards on AI.
“The EU now has the unique chance to promote a human-centric and trustworthy approach to AI. One that is based on fundamental rights, which manages risks while taking full advantage of the benefits AI can bring for the whole of society,” said Axel Voss, member of the European Parliament.
On a more technical level, the report suggests that although regulation is necessary, “only high-risk AI applications need to be strictly regulated in order to achieve leeway for innovation and avoid regulatory burden. Moreover, AI is entirely dependent on high-quality data. Current frameworks do not provide for timely access and sufficient sharing of data, which needs to be revised and extended.”
Other proposals in the report focus on how to achieve an ecosystem of AI excellence. This includes the digital infrastructure, deployment of broadband and 5G technology and quantum computing. However, given the limitations of the region in some of these areas compared to the two world leaders, U.S. and China, the report emphasizes the need to educate people to acquire digital and AI skills at all stages of education and employment.
“Our best ideas, talent and companies” are going elsewhere, according to the report. Voss warned that the window of opportunity is closing, saying the EU needs to “concentrate, prioritize, invest.”
This final report from AIDA is not a legislative proposal, but it will feed into upcoming parliamentary work on AI — in particular the AI Act, which is currently being discussed in the Internal Market and Civil Liberties committees. The AI Act is expected to be voted on by the two committees in charge of the proposal in late September.
Read More: EU Lawmaker: Europe Should Benefit From AI Rules
In the U.S., there isn’t yet a legislative proposal at federal level to regulate artificial intelligence, but different federal agencies are taking the initiative to regulate certain aspects of AI and to provide guidance. For instance, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is developing a framework to better manage risks to individuals, organizations and society associated with artificial intelligence. The NIST Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) is aimed to improve the ability to incorporate trustworthiness considerations into the design, development, use and evaluation of AI products, services and systems.
Read More: US FTC Could Find NIST an Ally to Push Its AI Agenda
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