This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. MEPs approved proposals to address long-term opportunities and legal challenges posed by AI in the area of ethics, civil liability and intellectual property. The Legal Affairs Committee adopted three reports on Thursday on specific issues linked to the increased development and use of artificial intelligence systems. The Commission is expected to put forward a legislative proposal on the matter in early 2021. The legislative initiative by Iban García del Blanco (S&D, ES), adopted with 20 votes in favour, none against and 4 abstentions, urges the EU Commission to present a new legal framework outlining the ethical principles to be used when developing, deploying and using artificial intelligence, robotics and related technologies in the EU, including software, algorithms and data.

The Legal Affairs Committee adopted three reports on Thursday on specific issues linked to the increased development and use of artificial intelligence systems. The Commission is expected to put forward a legislative proposal on the matter in early 2021. The legislative initiative by Iban García del Blanco (S&D, ES), adopted with 20 votes in favour, none against and 4 abstentions, urges the EU Commission to present a new legal framework outlining the ethical principles to be used when developing, deploying and using artificial intelligence, robotics and related technologies in the EU, including software, algorithms and data. MEPs adopted proposals on several guiding principles that must be taken into account by future laws including a human-centric, human-made and human-controlled AI; safety, transparency and accountability; safeguards against bias and discrimination; right to redress; social and environmental responsibility, and respect for fundamental rights. When it comes to AI with machine-learning (self-improving) capacities, it should be designed to allow for human oversight.

Think lawsuits involving humans are tricky? Try taking an intelligent robot to court. While autonomous robots with humanlike, all-encompassing capabilities are still decades away, European lawmakers, legal experts and manufacturers are already locked in a high-stakes debate about their legal status: whether it's these machines or human beings who should bear ultimate responsibility for their actions. The battle goes back to a paragraph of text, buried deep in a European Parliament report from early 2017, which suggests that self-learning robots could be granted "electronic personalities." Such a status could allow robots to be insured individually and be held liable for damages if they go rogue and start hurting people or damaging property.

Mady Delvaux wrote a report urging European politicians to enforce regulation around AI and robotics. European politicians have voted in favour of a controversial report calling for regulation on robots and artificial intelligence (AI). The vote, which took place in France on Thursday, was based on a report from the Legal Affairs Committee, which warned that there is a growing need for regulation to address increasingly autonomous robots and other forms of sophisticated AI. The report passed 396-to-123, with 85 abstentions. "MEP's (Members of the European Parliament) voted overwhelmingly in favour of the report," said a spokesperson for the European Parliament.

In another example of glacial bureaucracy, a committee from the European Parliament has written a report which recommends a meeting about robots and artificial intelligence (AI), reports Jamie Davies at Telecoms.com The Legal Affairs Committee has produced a report that strongly urges the European Commission (hereafter known as the Gaggle of Red-tapers) to create legislation and regulation to govern the rise of robotics and artificial intelligence. It suggests the Gaggle of Red-tapers creates a new department to "to supply public authorities with technical, ethical and regulatory expertise". The Legal Affairs Committee set up this working group to look into artificial intelligence in April 2016, and it would appear this report is the result of ten months' hard work. It took 21 MEP's, two of whom abstained from voting alongside two who rejected the proposals in the report (for some reason), ten months to come to the conclusion it should recommend the European Commission should regulate the development of artificial intelligence.

Basic labour rights could be extended to robots. The European Parliament's legal affairs committee is considering plans to declare them'electronic persons'. MEPs, led by a socialist from Luxembourg, have suggested that member states should think about a world driven by automation - one solution discussed is a guaranteed universal basic income. Basic labour rights could be extended to robots. The European Parliament's legal affairs committee is considering plans to declare them'electronic persons' Robotics is expected to produce machines that are no longer just'tools' but agents in their own right, able to teach themselves, roam around and make decisions, the committee's report states.

Failure to advance a digital single market undermines the EU's arguments against Brexit. A new species has arrived: the Health Care Optimist. Last year, the European Commission came out with an ambitious, multipronged strategy to create a digital single market in Europe. National interests and powerful lobbies force Commission to scale back ambitions for digital single market. 'We should be leading Europe, not leaving it,' says ex-British prime minister.

Robots are increasingly becoming more important. Not only are they being used in areas such as medicine, agriculture and manufacturing, they are now also capable of driving cars and piloting drones. However, their increasing use and expanding capabilities have significant implications. On 21 April Parliament's legal affairs committee held a hearing to discuss with experts the issues involved, such as safety, liability and risk management. More and more appliances are now able to operate interactively and autonomously to some extent.