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The EU AI Act: A New Era of Regulation and Innovation

Written by Nemko | August 1, 2024
                                                                                                                                                                                       

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a transformative force across various sectors,offering significant advancements while also posing notable risks.
The need for comprehensive public control worldwide is evident, and an example is the EU AI Act as just published by the European Commission on 12 July.
This is officially denoted “REGULATION (EU) 2024/1689 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 13 June 2024” and includes harmonised rules on AI and amends various existing regulations, including the preliminary Artificial Intelligence Act (EU) 2020/1828 from 2020.
The purpose of this new regulation is apparently to improve the functioning of the internal market by a uniform legal framework for development, placing on the market, putting into service, and use of AI systems within Europe. It shall promote the uptake of human-centric and trustworthy AI while ensuring a high level of protection of health, safety, fundamental rights including democracy, the rule of law and environmental protection, to protect against the harmful effects of AI systems. while also boost innovation and employment in the uptake of trustworthy AI.
The regulation shall also ensure the free movement, cross-border, of AI-based goods and services, thus preventing Member States from imposing restrictions on the development, marketing and use of AI systems, unless explicitly authorised by this regulation.
It is noted that the use of AI can provide key competitive advantages to undertakings and support socially and environmentally beneficial outcomes, for example in healthcare, agriculture, food safety, education and training, media, sports, culture, infrastructure management, energy, transport and logistics, public services, security, justice, resource and energy efficiency, environmental monitoring, the conservation and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The full text of the Act is available at this link.

(Article is based on the information shared by the European Commission and edited by T.Sollie)