For the past five years, Big Tech has faced a flurry of new rules and reprimands from Brussels. Now with a new team taking over the European Commission, relations may be entering a new era. If the past five years of EU tech rules could take human form, they would embody Thierry Breton . The bombastic commissioner, with his swoop of white hair, became the public face of Brussels' irritation with American tech giants, touring Silicon Valley last summer to personally remind the industry of looming regulatory deadlines. Combative and outspoken, Breton warned that Apple had spent too long " squeezing " other companies out of the market.

Microsoft Corp.'s 13 billion investment into OpenAI Inc. risks a full-blown investigation by European Union deals watchdogs, after a mutiny at the ChatGPT creator laid bare deep ties between the two companies. The European Commission said on Tuesday that it's examining whether Microsoft's involvement should be vetted under the bloc's merger rules -- paving the way for a formal probe and even a potential unwinding if it's found to hamper fair competition. The EU move, part of a broader look at artificial intelligence, follows a similar step by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority. "Virtual worlds and generative AI are rapidly developing," said Margrethe Vestager, the EU's antitrust commissioner. "It is fundamental that these new markets stay competitive, and that nothing stands in the way of businesses growing and providing the best and most innovative products to consumers."

The AI Act vote passed with an overwhelming majority, and has been heralded as one of the world's most important developments in AI regulation. The European Parliament's president, Roberta Metsola, described it as "legislation that will no doubt be setting the global standard for years to come." Don't hold your breath for any immediate clarity, though. The European system is a bit complicated. Next, members of the European Parliament will have to thrash out details with the Council of the European Union and the EU's executive arm, the European Commission, before the draft rules become legislation.

Discrimination is a bigger threat posed by artificial intelligence than possible extinction of the human race, according to the EU's competition commissioner. Margrethe Vestager said although the existential risk from advances in AI may be a concern, it was unlikely, whereas discrimination from the technology was a real problem. She told the BBC "guardrails" were needed for AI, including for situations where it was being used for decisions that could affect livelihoods, such as mortgage applications or access to social services. "Probably [the risk of extinction] may exist, but I think the likelihood is quite small. I think the AI risks are more that people will be discriminated [against], they will not be seen as who they are," she said.

Center for A.I. Safety Director Dan Hendrycks explains concerns about how the rapid growth of artificial intelligence could impact society. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that the United States is working with its European allies to develop a conduct code for artificial intelligence. Blinken is in Sweden for a meeting of the EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council, which is jointly led by American and European officials. "We need accountable artificial intelligence. Generative AI is a complete game changer," European Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager said at a press conference after the meeting, saying a draft of a voluntary code of conduct for artificial intelligence would be ready within a matter of weeks.

The world's governments have taken note of generative AI's potential for massive disruption and are acting accordingly. European Commission (EC) industry chief Thierry Breton said Wednesday that it would work with Alphabet on a voluntary pact to establish artificial intelligence ground rules, according to Reuters. Breton met with Google CEO Sundar Pichai in Brussels to discuss the arrangement, which will include input from companies based in Europe and other regions. The EU has a history of enacting strict technology rules, and the alliance gives Google a chance to provide input while steering clear of trouble down the road. The compact aims to set up guidelines ahead of official legislation like the EU's proposed AI Act, which will take much longer to develop and enact.

Competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager aims to create a'transatlantic space for trustworthy AI', giving companies a single set of rules to follow. Brussels and Washington can create a common space for trustworthy AI so that companies can comply with both EU and US artificial intelligence guidelines by applying a single set of rules, the EU's competition commissioner has said. Margrethe Vestager's remarks, made in advance of the third EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) meeting, which will take place on December 5, go further than ever before in aiming to align rules over the technology. Speaking in Brussels on 21 November, she said that progress made by the EU and US should "pave the way for a transatlantic sort of space for trustworthy AI." If the US and EU can agree on a common rulebook for AI it would become the de facto global standard, given the weight of the two economies.

The latest report on Meta's VR ambitions has likened Project Cambria, its next headset beyond Quest series, to a "laptop for the face" or even a "Chromebook for the face." A report from The Information suggests Meta will unveil its own VR operating system, which is based on Android. This will work with web-based tools and services, as well as some Quest apps. Technical specs are still unknown, but we can expect higher-res screens to make text easier to read -- the aim could be to ensure the VR headset is usable in work situations. We haven't yet seen an entirely new VR device since the company rebranded, but all this suggests that, compared to the Rift and Quest devices, the use cases could be broader, or at least tap into some of that sweet enterprise segment.

Receiving a film recommendation on your favourite video-on-demand platform, unblocking your phone with your face, using autocorrect, and chatting with a chatbot: all of these are everyday examples of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Despite sounding futuristic, AI is already being used by European citizens daily. Its opportunities can be endless, but there are also risks on the table. "The potential of using AI in beneficial ways is enormous: less pollution, improved medical care, enhanced opportunities, better education and more ways to enable citizens to engage in their society," said Margrethe Vestager, Europe's competition commissioner who is also in charge of digital. It can also be used "to fight terrorism and crime and enhance cybersecurity," Vestager underlined in a debate at the European's Parliament Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence.

The European Union has published a new framework to regulate the use of artificial intelligence across the bloc's 27 member states. The proposal, which will take years to implement into law and will be subject to many tweaks and amendments during this time, nevertheless constitutes the most ambitious AI regulations seen globally to date. The regulations cover a wide range of applications, from software in self-driving cars to algorithms used to vet job candidates, and arrive at a time when countries around the world are struggling with the ethical ramifications of artificial intelligence. Similar to the EU's data privacy law, GDPR, the regulation gives the bloc the ability to fine companies that infringe its rules up to 6 percent of their global revenues, though such punishments are extremely rare. "It is a landmark proposal of this Commission. It's our first ever legal framework on artificial intelligence," said European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager during a press conference.