STOA meets its International Advisory Board to discuss the Artificial Intelligence Act

Written by Philip Boucher and Carl Pierer. The European Commission published the much-anticipated Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA), an ambitious cross-sectoral attempt to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) applications on 21 April 2021. Its aim is to ensure that all European citizens can trust AI by providing proportionate and flexible rules – harmonised across the single market – to address the specific risks posed by AI systems and set the highest standards worldwide. The proposal sets out a risk-based approach to regulating AI applications: those presenting an'unacceptable risk' would be banned, those presenting a'high-risk' would be subjected to additional requirements before entering the market, and others, such as chatbots and'deep fakes', would be subject to new transparency requirements. Applications presenting'low or minimal risk' – the vast majority of AI applications – could enter the market without restrictions, although voluntary codes of conduct may be developed. Other proposed measures include a European AI Board to monitor implementation and regulatory sandboxes to facilitate innovation.