Prohibiting Harmful AI Practices: The EU's Bold Move to Protect Citizens

The European Union's AI regulation document takes a firm stance against harmful AI practices. In this third article, I explore the specific AI practices deemed harmful or abusive by the EU, and why they are being prohibited.

Identifying Harmful AI Practices:

• The EU categorizes certain AI applications as harmful due to their potential to infringe on human rights or manipulate users. For instance, AI systems designed for social scoring or mass surveillance are considered harmful (Page 22).
• Such systems can lead to discrimination and breach privacy rights, posing a significant threat to individual freedom and societal values.

Examples of Prohibited AI Practices:

• AI systems that manipulate human behavior, exploit vulnerabilities, or allow 'social scoring' are banned under the proposed regulation (Page 25).
• For example, AI that manipulates children into unsafe behavior or systems that categorize individuals based on social behavior or personal characteristics are explicitly prohibited.

Rationale Behind the Prohibition:

• These prohibitions stem from the need to protect citizens from AI systems that could be used in ways that violate fundamental rights, such as privacy and personal integrity (Page 30).
• The document emphasizes the importance of preserving human agency and preventing AI from making decisions that significantly affect people's lives without transparency or accountability.

Conclusion and My Perspective: The EU's move to prohibit certain harmful AI practices is a commendable step towards ensuring that technology serves humanity positively. As a corporate lawyer, I see this as a critical move to protect citizens from the darker potentials of AI. By setting these boundaries, the EU is reinforcing its commitment to upholding human rights in the age of advanced technology.