The European Commission proposed the AI rules in 2021 in an
attempt to foster innovation and set a global standard for a technology, used
in everything from self-driving cars and chatbots to automated factories,
currently led by China and the United States.
"We are still in good time to fulfil the overall target
and calendar that we assumed in the very beginning, which is to wrap it up
during this mandate," Dragos Tudorache, member of the European Parliament
and co-rapporteur of the EU AI Act, told Reuters.
"It took slightly longer than I initially
thought," he said. "This text has seen a level of complexity that is
even higher than the typical Brussels complex machinery."
The proposed legislation has drawn criticism from lawmakers
and consumer groups for not fully addressing risks from AI systems, but the
companies involved have warned that stricter rules could stifle innovation.
Intense debate over how AI should be governed led several
experts to predict that the draft legislation might hit a bottleneck and get
delayed.
"There are a few loose ends for all the political
families. I told them in the last meeting that you know you have success in a
compromise when everyone is equally unhappy," he said. "Some people
will say this is optimistic... I am hoping it will happen."
One of the areas of contention is the definition of
"General Purpose AI", which some believe should be considered as high
risk while others point to the risks posed by popular chatbot ChatGPT as an
area that needs more regulatory scrutiny.
"During this year alone, we are going to see some
exponential leaps forward not only for ChatGPT but for a lot of other general
purpose machines," he said, adding that the lawmakers were trying to write
some basic principles on what makes general purpose such a distinct type of AI.
ChatGPT can generate articles, essays, jokes and even poetry
in response to prompts. OpenAI, a private company backed by Microsoft, made it
available to the public for free in November.
EU industry chief Thierry Breton has said new proposed
artificial intelligence rules will aim to tackle concerns about the risks
around ChatGPT.
Critics of regulatory over-reach however said such a move
could lead to increased costs and more compliance pressure for companies,
throttling innovation.
"I think if that will be the effect of this Act, then
we will be severely missing our objective. And we haven't done our jobs if
that's what's going to happen," Tudorache said. © Reuters
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