Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

MEPs push to bring chatbots in line with EU's fundamental rights

MEPs push to bring chatbots in line with EU's fundamental rights

MEPs want chatbots to include safeguards that will prevent them from generating content that is illegal under EU law.
Members of the European Parliament overwhelmingly voted on Thursday morning to advance a draft regulation to ensure the "ethical development" of Artificial Intelligence (AI), a rapidly evolving technology that has raised concerns about disinformation, privacy, surveillance, discrimination, plagiarism, impersonation and even the future of democracy.

With the new EU-wide rules, lawmakers want to guarantee AI systems are "overseen by people, are safe, transparent, traceable, non-discriminatory and environmentally friendly," said a press release.

MEPs "also want to have a uniform definition for AI designed to be technology-neutral, so that it can apply to the AI systems of today and tomorrow."

The vote, which took place in a joint session of the internal market and civil liberties committees, added new provisions to the original text proposed by the European Commission, most notably fresh obligations on so-called generative foundation models, like ChatGPT, the chatbot developed by OpenAI that has revolutionised the tech industry since its launch in late November.

Foundation models are those trained with vast troves of data, such as text, images, music, speech and code, with the goal of fulfilling a wide and ever-changing set of tasks, rather than having a specific, unmodifiable purpose. Chatbots like OpenAI's GPT and Google's BERT are some of the early examples of this technology, which is expected to further evolve in the coming years.

While investors have jumped fast on chatbots, critics have decried their unchecked development, raising the alarm about bias, hate speech, fake news, state propaganda, IP violations, labour redundancies, cyberattacks and the increasingly blurred line between human and artificial.

Mindful of the growing concerns, lawmakers have added amendments to ensure chatbots are transparent, do not produce content that is illegal under EU law, comply with copyright rules and respect fundamental rights like freedom of expression.

"Generative foundation models should ensure transparency about the fact the content is generated by an AI system, not by humans," the new text reads.

MEPs also pushed to broaden the list of "intrusive and discriminatory" AI applications that should be strictly banned across EU territory. The expanded list covers real-time biometric identification in public spaces, predictive policing systems, and emotion recognition in law enforcement and workplaces.

AI systems that have the power to influence voters in political campaigns will not be prohibited but will be considered high-risk and therefore subject to closer scrutiny, lawmakers said.

Thursday's mandate was approved with 84 votes in favour, seven against and 12 abstentions. More than 3,000 amendments were tabled before the session, reflecting the remarkable interest in the technology.

The vote, however, is far from final: MEPs still need to approve their negotiating mandate in a plenary session, which will then be used for discussions with member states. These talks, known in Brussels parlay as "trilogues," are expected to be intense and protected, given the stakes and expectations.

This process will result in a compromise text, which will then be voted on again by the co-legislators before entering into force.

The Artificial Intelligence Act was first proposed by the Commission in April 2021, well before the market explosion of chatbots. The act imposes obligations and restrictions on AI companies according to the risk their products present to society: minimal risk, limited risk, high-risk and unacceptable.

High-risk systems will have to undergo a conformity assessment, be registered in an EU database and bear the CE marking before being put on the market. This will restart with each update.

Chatbots will not be considered high-risk, lawmakers said, despite the beefed-up provisions.

Under the amended text, companies that break the rules could face fines of up to €40 million or 7% of their worldwide annual turnover, whichever is steeper.

The EU regulation's human-centric and all-encompassing approach is considered a pioneering step in the global effort to rein in the excesses of AI, which many see as the most disruptive technology since the advent of the World Wide Web (WWW).
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Warns NATO and US on Ukraine Using Long-Range Weapons
Fragmented EU Defence Industry Needs Urgent Coordination
Political Uncertainty Weakens Germany's Investor Confidence
European Car Makers Struggle in the Electric Vehicle Market
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Emphasizes Economic Necessity of Immigration
Bill Gates Warns of Imminent Threats: War and Pandemics
Germany's Foreign Ministry humorously countered U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's assertion that all immigrants eat pets, in a post on the social platform X
Kamala Harris Wins Post-Debate Survey Against Donald Trump
Impact and Aftermath of 9/11 Attacks on the US and the World
Neighbours Criticise Germany Over Extended Border Controls
EU Court Orders Google to Pay €2.4 Billion Fine
Apple Ordered to Pay Ireland €13bn in Unpaid Taxes
UK Upside Down: Woman Attacked, Police Focus on Her Language Instead of the Attacker
Internet Surpasses TV as UK's Leading News Source
Top Former US Military Leaders Endorse Kamala Harris, Criticize Trump
Australia Implements Minimum Age for Social Media Use
Kim Jong Un Announces Increase in North Korea's Nuclear Arsenal
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT THE UK COULDN'T SINK ANY LOWER… NOW UK WANT TO SUMMON ELON MUSK OVER "TOO MUCH FREE SPEECH" ON X
RUMBLE BLOCKED IN BRAZIL: A BLOW TO FREE SPEECH
Is it artificial, or intelligent?
CDC: U.S. Fertility Rates Hit Historic Low
Apple's "New" iPhone 16: Same Phone, New Number
Swiss politician lectures a German politician about democracy
Germany has just announced that they will be closing their borders and introducing border controls to protect the country
If ID Is a Must for So Many Small Things, Why Not in Elections?
Make Army Real Again
China just arrested the billionaire founder of a free speech messaging app for not moderating and censoring the content to their liking.
Viktor Orban’s Bold Stand on Immigration
Greece to Impose Levy on Cruise Passengers Visiting Santorini and Mykonos
Here’s What a 240 km/h Typhoon in Vietnam Looked Like
A shift in how people consume news and information is happening!
Former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers: “We’re going to make this election too big to rig.”
Hungary was fined €200 million by the EU for opposing illegal immigration
China Unveils AI App Inspired by Iron Man's Jarvis
Iranian Plots to Kill Jews in Europe Unveiled
Public Health Data Debate, Kidney Transplants, Wildfires, Typhoon Impact, and Controversial YouTube Bans: A Diverse Week in News
Sinner Makes History, Italy Upsets France, Ronaldo's 900th Career Goal, and More in Sports Highlights
Porn streamer OnlyFans paid owner $630mn in dividends
China ends tariffs on all goods exported to China from the poorest countries in the world it has diplomatic ties with, including 33 African nations
Ukraine's Major Government Reshuffle: Andrii Sybiha Appointed New Foreign Minister
WALZ'S FOR TRUMP": Gov. Tim Walz’s family is proudly expressing their 'strong support' for former President Trump
In a public interview yesterday, Putin openly said he wants Kamala Harris to win the 2024 election.
French Woman Testifies in Landmark Rape Trial
Michel Barnier Appointed as Prime Minister of France
Britain Plans to Combat 700 Years of Nepotism in Its Governmental System by Ending Hereditary Peerships in the House of Lords
The art technique of Grandma Mei Ling, age 82
Hungary's Dependence on Russian Oil
Mongolia Refuses to Arrest Putin Despite ICC Warrant
France Pilots Mobile Phone Ban in Schools
Hungary's Quest for Energy Stability Amid Global Tensions
×