2022 promises to bring massive change to AI regulation

With their rich history of multistakeholder collaboration, the EU is poised to "set the standard" of AI regulation for all of us. It's a phenomenon that came to pass with the General Data Protection Act (GDPR), in which countries and U.S. states seeking similar protections simply copied most provisions of the EU law into their own jurisdictions. The GDPR (and the AI Act) have serious implications for U.S. companies, given that these rules apply to any technologies their citizens use, even if the company operates elsewhere. The AI Act also leaves room for further complication, given that some portions of the law will be up to member states for enforcement and clarifying guidance. This "regulatory divergence" problem is already a huge drain on compliance departments, and is about to get a whole lot worse.