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).
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
×