EU Lawmakers Agree on Tighter Draft AI Rules

Lawmakers in the European Union have agreed on tightening the draft rules over Artificial Intelligence following a crunch vote this week. Should the legislation pass, it would be the first of such legislation regulating AI technology.

EU lawmakers agreed on tighter draft rules regulating AI technology following the crunch vote on Thursday, making it one step closer to passing the legislation. The EU’s AI Act is seen as the world’s first comprehensive legislation governing technology with rules around the use of facial recognition, biometric surveillance, and other AI applications. The legislation would now be moved to the next stage of the process after negotiations that have been taking place for two years, where lawmakers will finalize details with the European Commission and individual member countries.

One of the lawmakers drafting the laws, Dragos Tudorache, said ahead of the vote by two committees that the legislation was a “delicate deal.”

“But it is a package that I think gives something to everyone that participated in these negotiations,” said Tudorache.

“Our societies expect us to do something determined about artificial intelligence and the impact it has on their lives. It’s enough to turn on the TV…in the last two or three months, and every day you see how important this is becoming for citizens,” said Tudorache.

In the legislation, AI tools would be classified based on their risk levels, from low to unacceptable. Governments and firms that are using such tools will have different obligations depending on the risk level. German lawmaker Svenja Hahn told Reuters that the negotiations forced the left-wing and conservative lawmakers to meet in the middle.

Meanwhile, the EU delegation to Israel canceled its Europe Day diplomatic reception in protest of the planned participation of right-wing Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Ben-Gvir, who is serving as the minister under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was chosen to represent Israel for the Europe Day event that took place on Tuesday.

Ben-Gvir, a hardline Jewish settler in the West Bank, has been known to support “terrorism” and incitement against Palestinians. Ben-Gvir was also widely known as a provocateur and has called for the displacement of Palestinians.

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