STOCKHOLM/LONDON- Rapid technological advances such as the ChatGPT generative artificial intelligence (AI) app are complicating efforts by European Union lawmakers to agree on landmark AI laws, sources with direct knowledge of the matter have told Reuters.
The European Commission proposed the draft rules nearly two years ago in a bid to protect citizens from the dangers of the emerging technology, which has experienced a boom in investment and consumer popularity in recent months.
The draft needs to be thrashed out between EU countries and EU lawmakers, called a trilogue, before the rules can become law.
Several lawmakers had expected to reach a consensus on the 108-page bill last month in a meeting in Strasbourg, France and proceed to a trilogue in the next few months.
But a 5-hour meeting on Feb 13 resulted in no resolution and lawmakers are at loggerheads over various facets of the Act, according to three sources familiar with the discussions.
While the industry expects an agreement by the end of the year, there are concerns that the complexity and the lack of progress could delay the legislation to next year, and European elections could see MEPs with an entirely different set of priorities take office.
“The pace at which new systems are being released makes regulation a real challenge,” said Daniel Leufer, a senior policy analyst at rights group Access Now. “It’s a fast-moving target, but there are measures that remain relevant despite the speed of development: transparency, quality control, and measures to assert their fundamental rights.”
Lawmakers are working through the more than 3,000 tabled amendments, covering everything from the creation of a new AI office to the scope of the Act’s rules.
“Negotiations are quite complex because there are many different committees involved,” said Brando Benifei, an Italian MEP and one of the two lawmakers leading negotiations on the bloc’s much-anticipated AI Act. “The discussions can be quite long. You have to talk to some 20 MEPs every time.” – Reuters
