【AI Bill of Rights】
-- Draft Passed by the European Union
On Wednesday, local time in Europe, the European Parliament passed a draft law named the "AI Bill," taking an important step toward regulating AI. As decision-makers in various countries strive to set up "guardrails" for this rapidly developing technology, this law may become a template for other countries.
The vote on this draft is just one step in the lengthy process of enacting this law in the European Union. The final version of the bill is expected to be passed later this year.
The "AI Bill" adopts a "risk-based" approach to regulating AI, focusing on application areas that pose the greatest harm to humans. This includes AI systems used in critical infrastructure such as water or energy, in the legal system, and in determining access to public services and government welfare. Developers of AI systems must conduct risk assessments before deploying the technology in everyday use, similar to drug approval procedures.
According to the latest version of the "AI Bill" passed on Wednesday, generative AI will face new transparency requirements, including the publication of summaries of copyrighted materials used to train the system. This proposal has received support from the publishing industry but has faced opposition from technical developers due to feasibility issues. Manufacturers of generative AI systems must also take measures to prevent the generation of illegal content.
Simultaneously, the "AI Bill" will severely restrict the use of facial recognition software and require developers of AI systems like ChatGPT chatbots to disclose more data used to create the programs. The use of facial recognition is a major point of contention. The European Parliament voted to ban the use of real-time facial recognition, but the question of whether it should be allowed for national security and other law enforcement purposes with legal exemptions still remains.
According to the current draft, companies that do not comply with the "AI Bill" could face fines of up to 6% of their global revenue.
The European Union has gone further than the United States and other major Western countries in regulating AI. The EU has been debating this topic for over two years. The issue became more urgent after the release of ChatGPT last year, exacerbating concerns about AI's potential impact on employment and society.
However, tech leaders have also been attempting to influence the AI debate in various countries. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the developer of ChatGPT, has met with at least 100 U.S. lawmakers and other global policymakers in South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia in recent months, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Altman has called for AI regulation but also indicated that the company may struggle to comply with the EU's regulatory draft and threatened to withdraw.
The extent of the impact of AI regulations is currently unclear. The pace of AI development seems to have outpaced the speed at which European legislators are enacting laws. For instance, early versions of the "AI Bill" did not give much attention to generative AI systems like ChatGPT. Phoenix Technology's "AI Vanguard" will continue to monitor this issue.
