EU Institutions reached agreement on AI Act
IRIS 2024-1:1/9
Justine Radel-Cormann
European Audiovisual Observatory
As mentioned in previous articles (IRIS 2021-6:1/25 and IRIS 2023-6:1/5), the European Commission (EC) presented, on 21 April 2021, a proposal for a regulation laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence and amending certain Union legislative acts (Artificial Intelligence Act – AI Act). In December 2022, the Council of the European Union established its general approach. Subsequently, the European Parliament (EP) adopted its position in June 2023, initiating trilogue discussions.
On 9 December 2023, the EP and the Council of the EU reached a political agreement on the AI Act. While technical discussions persist to finalise the text, both EU bodies have reached alignment on the fundamental aspects of the legislation.
In its position from 14 June 2023, the EP emphasised the necessity for transparent usage of AI, especially concerning copyright-protected content and the creation of manipulated content, such as deep fakes, portraying individuals in actions or statements they did not consent to.
The two institutions agreed on this call for transparency. The EP press release underscores the requirements for general-purpose AI systems and their underlying models to comply with transparency standards. This includes the development of technical documentation, adherence to EU copyright law, and the dissemination of comprehensive summaries detailing the training data utilised.
Following the political agreement, further technical refinement of the text is expected. Upon conclusion, each institution (the European Parliament and the Council) will formally approve the text before its publication in the EU Official Journal.
References
- European Commission, 21 April 2021, proposal for a regulation laying down harmonised rules on AI
- https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52021PC0206
- Council of the EU, General Approach, 25 November 2022, on the proposal for a regulation laying down harmonised rules on AI
- https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/12/06/artificial-intelligence-act-councilcalls-for-promoting-safe-ai-that-respects-fundamental-rights/
- European Parliament, amendments adopted on 14 June 2023 on the proposal for a regulation laying down harmonised rules on AI
- https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0236_EN.html
- EP IMCO Press release on provisional agreement for AI
- https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20231206IPR15699/artificial-intelligence-act-deal-on-comprehensive-rules-for-trustworthy-ai
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IRIS 2023-6:1/5 AI Act: where do we stand?
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This article has been published in IRIS Legal Observations of the European Audiovisual Observatory.