Brussels, BELGIUM — The European Parliament’s committees on the Internal Market (IMCO) and Civil Liberties (LIBE) have unveiled their joint draft report on the proposed Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act, the first of its kind in the world. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) Brando Benifei and Dragoş Tudorache, the co-rapporteurs on the AI Act, worked together in drafting the report.
Now, MEPs in the two lead committees will debate and amend the joint report, after which the European Parliament will engage in final negotiations on the AI Act with the 27 EU Member States, expected to take place later this year.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA Europe) has long supported the EU’s risk-based approach to AI as well as the dual emphasis on promoting European excellence and public trust. Indeed, CCIA released a position paper with key recommendations in January 2022.
CCIA Europe welcomes the amendments put forward by the co-rapporteurs with the objective to strengthen legal clarity and finding a good balance in creating a trustworthy regulation that does not impose an unreasonable burden on businesses.
However, if we want a future-proof regulation that promotes growth and innovation in the EU, there are several aspects with regard to the AI Act’s scope that would deserve further consideration. Attention should be paid to narrowing down the current definition of AI to avoid unintentionally regulating traditional technologies.
The EU should moreover be wary of imposing blanket bans and only ban AI practices when specific use cases are clearly contrary to EU fundamental rights. Likewise, we need to ensure that the categorisation of ‘high risk’ AI systems follows a clear methodology and does not extend beyond having a significant impact on fundamental rights, health or safety.
The following can be attributed to CCIA Vice President and Head of Office, Christian Borggreen:
“Artificial Intelligence will be key to help address a wide range of societal challenges, ranging from better traffic management to climate change. CCIA Europe welcomes the European Parliament’s efforts to promote responsible and trustworthy development and use of AI.”
“Indeed, we share the common goal of making sure that AI will benefit all Europeans. We urge lawmakers to narrow the definition of AI and avoid over-regulating entire categories of technologies in order not to hamper innovation in the EU.”
