EU countries give approval, bringing landmark AI rules closer for Europe.
EU countries have given their approval to a political agreement reached in December, bringing Europe closer to implementing regulations for artificial intelligence and AI models like Microsoft-supported ChatGPT.
The rules, proposed by the European Commission three years ago, aim to set a global standard for the technology, which is used across a wide range of industries from banking and retail to cars and airlines.
They also set parameters for the use of AI for military, criminal and security purposes.
EU Industry Director Thierry Breton said the AI law is historic and a world first.
“Member states today endorsed the political agreement reached in December, recognizing the perfect balance between innovation and security that negotiators have struck,” he said in a statement.
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A big concern among experts is that generative AI has given rise to deep fakes—realistic but AI-made videos created by AI algorithms trained on abundant online material—appearing on social media, blurring fact and fiction in public life.
EU digital manager Margrethe Vestager said that the spread of fake photos of pop singer Taylor Swift on social media in recent days highlighted the need for new rules.
“What happened to @taylorswift13 says it all: the #harm #AI can cause if misused, the responsibility of #platforms and why it’s so important to control #technology regulation,” she said on the X social platform.
Friday’s deal was a foregone conclusion after France, the last abstentionist, dropped its opposition to the AI law after securing strict terms that balance transparency and trade secrets and reduce the administrative burden of risky AI systems.
The aim is to enable the development of competitive artificial intelligence models in the bloc, an EU diplomatic official told Reuters earlier on Friday. The official declined to be named because they were not authorized to comment publicly on the matter.
Mistral, a French AI startup founded by former Meta and Google artificial intelligence researchers, and Germany’s Aleph Alpha have lobbied their governments on the issue, the sources said.
Germany also backed the rules earlier this week.
Tech lobby group CCIA, which counts Alphabet’s Google, Amazon, Apple and Meta platforms as members, warned of roadblocks ahead.
“Many of the new AI rules are still unclear and could slow down the development and deployment of innovative AI applications in Europe,” said Boniface de Champris, senior policy manager at CCIA Europe.
“Proper implementation of the Act is therefore critical to ensure that AI regulations do not overburden businesses as they strive to innovate and compete in a thriving, highly dynamic market.”
The next step in turning the AI Act into legislation is a vote by the Committee of EU Legislators on February 13 and a vote by the European Parliament in either March or April. It is likely to come into force before the summer and should come into force in 2026, although some legislation will come into force earlier.
