On 21 April, the European Commission published a long-awaited draft regulation with harmonized rules on Artificial Intelligence (AI). This is not just an EU first: its effects are bound to spill outside of EU borders, both jurisdictionally and as a precedent other countries may emulate eventually.
The proposal defines AI and recognises its power as an important but potentially dangerous force that can manipulate behaviour, threaten privacy, and drive large-scale biases in private and public services. AI service-providers serving the EU market from anywhere in the world and users of any such services will be subject to the new rules. These rely on a risk categorisation to define the measures required in each case.
Whilst the proposal marks a step towards capping the free-for-all market AI-innovators have access to, it will no doubt also affect a very wide range of corporates, SMEs and other market players across the whole ICT spectrum and beyond. To learn more about this regulation’s implications for businesses and regulators alike, see our upcoming deep dive into the subject.
