10 Things You Need to Know About the EU AI Act: The First Regulation on Artificial Intelligence

1/ A Global First: The European Union (EU) is leading the way in AI governance with the AI Act, the world's first comprehensive regulatory framework for artificial intelligence. This pioneering legislation is a significant part of the EU's digital strategy.

2/ Risk-Based Classification: The AI Act classifies AI systems according to the risk they pose to users. It's like a traffic light system for AI, with different levels of regulation for different risk levels.

3/ Human Oversight: The European Parliament emphasizes that AI systems should be overseen by humans, not automation. This human-centric approach is designed to prevent harmful outcomes and ensure the safe use of AI.

4/ Banning Unacceptable Risks: The AI Act draws a clear line against AI systems posing an 'unacceptable risk'. These include voice-activated toys encouraging dangerous behavior in children, social scoring systems, and real-time remote biometric identification systems.

5/ Exceptions to the Rule: Some exceptions to the ban on 'unacceptable risk' AI systems may be allowed. For instance, 'post' remote biometric identification systems could be used to prosecute serious crimes, but only with court approval.

6/ High-Risk AI Systems: AI systems that could negatively affect safety or fundamental rights are considered 'high risk'. These include AI used in aviation, medical devices, critical infrastructure management, and legal interpretation.

7/ Registration and Assessment: High-risk AI systems will need to be registered in an EU database. They will be subject to rigorous assessment before they hit the market and throughout their lifecycle.

8/ Transparency for Generative AI: Generative AI systems, like ChatGPT, will need to comply with transparency requirements. These include disclosing that the content was generated by AI and designing the model to prevent it from generating illegal content.

9/ Limited Risk AI Systems: 'Limited risk' AI systems must comply with minimal transparency requirements. Users should be made aware when they are interacting with AI, especially when it involves AI systems that generate or manipulate image, audio, or video content.

10/ Setting a Global Preced

The EU AI Act is a pioneering step in AI regulation, setting a global precedent for how AI systems should be managed and regulated. It underscores the importance of safety, transparency, and accountability in the development and use of AI technology.