As AI continues to gain popularity, it will have to be regulated to build confidence
Just as with money, artificial intelligence (AI) can be used for both good and bad things, so it makes sense that leaders are starting to make efforts to ensure this potentially huge industry is regulated and properly promoted. Recently, a German government official said that the European Union (EU) may need one agency to regulate AI with the intention of helping people trust this technology and realize its economic potential. The comment was made by Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht last Tuesday at the European Parliament committee in Brussels.
Lambrecht exposed the need of this regulatory agency while she was presenting her priorities for Germany’s six-month presidency of the 27-nation EU through December. According to her, there is still “a great deal of skepticism” from consumers towards the data that is being processed using AI. During the conference, which took place virtually, Lambrecht told the committee, “A uniform legal framework for artificial intelligence is very important. Whether there we perhaps need a European solution through a European agency potentially with enforcement capacity — for AI I think that would certainly be a suggestion that’s worth thinking about.”
The EU has been making some considerations regarding the impact of AI, and now aims to be among the first jurisdictions to regulate this technology. Currently, AI has been immersing in more fields such as health, policing and transport, so it makes sense that the future will bring along new legal requirements for the industry, including testing by authorities before allowing a deployment.
As a result of this meeting, an executive arm of the EU, the European Commission, has the mission to develop a proposal on AI as soon as the end of the year.
