The Council of the EU approved the EU AI Act

The Council of the European Union approved the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (the EU AI Act), based on a risk approach, which means that the greater the risk of harm to society with artificial intelligence, the stricter the rules.

On Tuesday, 21st May 2024, the Council of the European Union approved the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (the EU AI Act). It is the first such act in the world that can set a global standard for the regulation of artificial intelligence, as it is based on a risk approach, which means that the greater the risk of harm to society with artificial intelligence, the stricter the rules.

Thus, the new act classifies different types of artificial intelligence according to risk. In doing so, artificial intelligence systems that operate on the basis of cognitive behavioral manipulation and/or on the basis of profiling and systems that use biometric data to categorize people according to personal circumstances (e.g. race, religion, sexual orientation, etc.) will be prohibited in the EU, because their risk is considered unacceptable.

Several governing bodies will be established to ensure proper enforcement of the act, as well as fines for violations.

The EU AI Act also aims to encourage the development, investment and innovation and use of safe and trusted AI systems across the EU market by both private and public sectors, while respecting the fundamental rights of EU citizens.