Conflicting directives cause confusion in machinery cyberworld - Agriland.ie

While the farm machinery industry is busy trumpeting news of all the latest digital gadgetry it is bringing to market, the EU is equally busy sowing confusion over the legislation surrounding these developments. In its latest position paper on the planned directives, CEMA – the association representing the European agricultural machinery industry – has pinpointed several problems with the proposals which it feels will be detrimental to the industry. The first point raised is the absence of any strict definition of artificial intelligence (AI) and the term'safety function', both of which are critical components of the directives. There are two directives in the pipeline which cover the implementation of AI installed in farm machinery. The first is the general regulatory framework for AI, while the second is the machinery directive itself. It should be noted that both cover all industries and not just agriculture, and that machinery is considered to be powered equipment fitted with a tool to carry out specific tasks.