EU gives final nod to AI rules

Robot humanoid using a laptop for big data analysis. [Getty Images]

The Council of the European Union (EU) announced on Tuesday that ministers from the EU member states have given their final approval to the bloc's artificial intelligence (AI) act.

The vote by the ministers comes two months after EU lawmakers endorsed the AI legislation, originally drafted by the European Commission in 2021, with several key amendments.

This law "addresses a global technological challenge that also creates opportunities for our societies and economies," said Belgian Secretary of State for Digitization Mathieu Michel in a statement.

The AI Act has adopted a risk-based approach, subjecting higher-risk AI applications to stricter regulation, according to the statement.

The Act bans AI systems involved in cognitive behavioral manipulation and social scoring within the EU. It also prohibits the use of AI for predictive policing based on profiling and systems that use biometric data to categorize people according to specific categories such as race, religion, or sexual orientation.

For general-purpose AI systems, the Act requires compliance with transparency requirements if they do not pose systemic risks. However, those with systemic risks must comply with stricter rules.

Notably, the EU's AI Act exempts systems used exclusively for military, defense, and research purposes from these regulations.

To ensure proper enforcement, the Act establishes several governing bodies, including an AI office, a scientific panel of experts, an AI board with representatives from member states, and an advisory forum for stakeholders.

Once signed by the presidents of the European Parliament and the Council, the legislative act will be published in the EU's Official Journal and will enter into force 20 days after publication.