EU parliament adopts rules on AI

The European Parliament yesterday gave final approval to the world's most far-reaching rules to govern artificial intelligence, including powerful systems like OpenAI's ChatGPT.

The AI Act focuses on higher-risk uses of the technology by the private and public sector, with tougher obligations for providers, stricter transparency rules for the most powerful models like ChatGPT, and an outright ban on tools considered too dangerous.

Senior EU officials say the rules, first proposed in 2021, will protect citizens from the risks of a technology developing at breakneck speed.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen hailed the vote ushering in a "pioneering framework for innovative AI, with clear guardrails."

The EU's rules known as the "AI Act" take a risk-based approach: the riskier the system, the tougher the requirements -- with outright bans on the AI tools deemed to carry the most threat.

For example, high-risk AI providers must conduct risk assessments and ensure their products comply with the law before they are made available to the public.

Violations can see companies hit with fines ranging from 7.5 million to 35 million euros depending on the type of infringement and the firm's size.