A GDPR for artificial intelligence?

The various institutions of the EU aim to be the rule makers and standard bearers for artificial intelligence and associated technology ("AI"). One AI use case which has come under particular scrutiny is that of facial recognition. Since we last wrote on the subject, it has become increasingly clear that the European Commission will take a restrictive approach to the use of facial recognition technology, especially when such use is in public areas. Earlier this year in April, the European Commission led the way in this area suggesting a legal framework for the regulation of facial recognition and certain types of AI systems. The draft legislation (also explained in a press release here) looks to create "trustworthy AI" which protects the fundamental rights of citizens while strengthening AI investment and innovation across the EU. The measures would restrict the use of live facial recognition to a very narrow set of scenarios where this would be deemed essential from a public interest perspective; such as the search for missing children or the policing of terrorist incidents.