EU launches plan to regulate A.I., taking aim at Silicon Valley giants

One area that the Commission is particularly concerned about is facial recognition. At the moment, the processing of biometric data in order to identify people is illegal in most cases, under data privacy laws. However, the EU is now looking at whether there should be certain exceptions. Speaking to journalists in Brussels, Margrethe Vestager, the EU's head of competition policy, said: "Artificial intelligence is not good or bad in itself, it all depends on why and how it is used." In an exclusive interview with CNBC Tuesday, Vestager said that the EU is taking a "double-sided" approach where it will enable this technology, while also ensuring it's not harmful to EU citizens.