Artificial Intelligence Act approved

On 13 March 2024, the European Parliament approved the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act). In the next step, the regulation must be formally endorsed by the EU Council. The regulation will be fully applicable 24 months after its publication in the Official Journal. 

 

 

The regulation aims to protect fundamental rights, democracy, the rule of law and environmental sustainability from undesirable actions of high-risk AI systems, while boosting innovation in the European Union in the field of AI. The Artificial Intelligence Act establishes obligations for AI based on its potential risks and level of impact..

 

 

The regulation prohibits certain applications of artificial intelligence that could threaten human rights. Such types of AI include, but are not limited to: emotion recognition systems in the workplace, social scoring systems or systems to manipulate human behaviour. 

 

General-purpose AI systems and models will have to meet certain transparency requirements, including publishing detailed summaries of the content used for training and compliance with EU copyright law. It will be also necessary to assess and mitigate risks and report incidents. 

 

With regard to AI qualified as high-risk systems, the Act provides for specific restrictions. Such systems must ensure human oversight, be transparent and accurate and maintain use logs. Citizens will have a right to submit complaints about AI systems and receive explanations about decisions based on high-risk AI systems that affect their rights. 

 

If you are interested in the specific obligations imposed by the AI Act, please contact our experts.