EU Draft Law Approved to Govern AI and Prohibit Facial Recognition Technology
The European Union legislators have made significant progress in regulating the implementation of artificial intelligence systems in the region by approving a preliminary legislation called the AI Act. However, according to The New York Times, this is just one step in a lengthy process, and the final version of the law may not be available until later this year. If the current version of the law is enforced, the use of real-time and remote biometric systems, including facial recognition scanning, will be prohibited in the European Union.
It also bans devices that demonstrate cognitive behavioral manipulation, such as voice-activated toys that are considered to encourage dangerous behavior in children. Technologies that categorize people based on their socioeconomic status or personal characteristics are also prohibited. In the meantime, technologies considered “high risk” must be registered in an EU database. These include artificial intelligence systems for biometric identification and use by law enforcement agencies.
The European Commission first proposed an AI law in April 2021. That was well before the surge in popularity of generative AI systems, which led to calls for AI regulation. The version lawmakers voted on included rules for generative AI companies like OpenAI, including a requirement to disclose any content generated by AI. These companies must also ensure that their large language models cannot generate illegal content. They must also publish summaries of the copyrighted data used to train the models.
Representatives of the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of the European Union still have to negotiate the details to get the final version of the law. They could decide to change some aspects of it and add certain exceptions, such as allowing the use of facial recognition for national security purposes. The AI law is likely to go through several iterations after this vote, although EU officials hope to finalize the details by the end of the year.
