European Council Approves Legislation on Artificial Intelligence

May 29, 2024
__wf_reserved_inherit

In contrast to Mercosur, which struggles to evolve from an economic bloc to a political and monetary union due to challenges in socio-political integration caused by alternating conservative and progressive governments, the European Union continues to demonstrate efficiency in integrating its member countries. Despite the United Kingdom's departure, the EU remains committed to regulating fundamental issues related to the incorporation of new technologies, which will significantly impact personal, educational, and professional relationships. We are specifically discussing Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the use of digital technology to create systems capable of performing tasks that normally require human intelligence. While some AI technologies have been around for a few decades, recent developments in computer technology, the availability of vast data sets, and the proliferation of new software have accelerated progress significantly.

AI is already woven into various aspects of our daily lives. It predicts natural disasters, provides virtual assistance, translates texts automatically, ensures quality control in manufacturing, aids medical diagnoses, and guides vehicle navigation. And that’s not all - new tools are emerging to assist individuals and organizations, generally, with their diverse needs. Among these tolls, we have ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and Claude, each introducing fresh features almost daily.

On May 21, 2024, the European Council achieved a significant milestone by approving the Artificial Intelligence Act. This groundbreaking legislation harmonizes rules related to AI across the European Union’s Member States. However, it was no easy feat. Some European Union countries, particularly Germany and France, home to several AI start-ups, have advocated self-regulation over government-imposed restrictions. Their concern is that overly stringent regulations could hinder Europe's ability to compete with Chinese and American companies in the rapidly advancing technology sector.

Timeline of the Artificial Intelligence Act

In fact, discussions about AI within the European Council began as early as 2020. However, it was in 2021 that the Artificial Intelligence Act came into existence. This legislation categorized AI technologies based on risk levels, ranging from “unacceptable” (which would lead to a ban) to high-risk, medium-risk, and low-risk. The European Union has explicitly prohibited AI systems that engage in cognitive-behavioral manipulation, social scoring, profile-based predictive policing, and those that use biometric data to categorize individuals based on factors such as race, religion, or sexual orientation. These systems are considered too risky.

Below you’ll find the timeline of the Artificial Intelligence Act:

__wf_reserved_inherit

Risk Classification of the Artificial Intelligence Act

Below are some examples based on the risk classification:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
               

                   RISK CLASSIFICATION                

           
               

                   EXAMPLES                

           
               

                   Unacceptable                

           
               

                   Social    scoring, facial recognition in certain                    circumstances                

           
               

                   High-risk                

           
               

                   Use    in transport, for scheduling exams, recruitment,                    granting loans in certain    circumstances                

           
               

                   Medium risk                

           
               

                   Chatbots (conversational robots)                

           
               

                   Low risk                

           
               

                   Video    games, anti-spam filters                

           

It is important to note that the Artificial Intelligence Act will not oversee or impact AI systems deemed low risk. Medium-risk systems, identified as having systemic but limited risks, will face minimal transparency requirements, which include the need to reveal if content was generated by AI, allowing users to make informed decisions about subsequent use. Systems designed for direct human interaction must be clearly labeled, unless it is evident to users that they are engaging with AI.

To grasp the concepts of ‘unacceptable’ and ‘high-risk’ more clearly, please refer to the detailed explanation that follows.

                                                                                                                           
               

                   RISK CLASSIFICATION                

           
               

                   DESCRIPTION                

           
               

                   Unacceptable                

           
               

                   1.    The following AI practices shall be prohibited:
                   (a) the placing on the market, the putting into service or                    the use of an AI    system that deploys subliminal                    techniques beyond a person’s consciousness or                    purposefully manipulative or deceptive techniques, with the                    objective, or the    effect of materially distorting the                    behavior of a person or a group of    persons by appreciably                    impairing their ability to make an informed decision,                    thereby causing them to take a decision that they would not                    have otherwise    taken in a manner that causes or is                    reasonably likely to cause that person,    another person or                    group of persons significant harm;
                   (b) the placing on the market, the putting into service or                    the use of an AI    system that exploits any of the                    vulnerabilities of a natural person or a    specific group                    of persons due to their age, disability or a specific social                    or economic situation, with the objective, or the effect, of                    materially    distorting the behavior of that person or a                    person belonging to that group in    a manner that causes or                    is reasonably likely to cause that person or another                    person significant harm;
                   (c) the placing on the market, the putting into service or                    the use of AI    systems for the evaluation or                    classification of natural persons or groups of    persons                    over a certain period of time based on their social behavior                    or    known, inferred or predicted personal or personality                    characteristics, with    the social score leading to either                    or both of the following:
                   (i) detrimental or unfavorable treatment of certain natural                    persons or groups    of persons in social contexts that are                    unrelated to the contexts in which the    data was                    originally generated or collected;
                   (ii) detrimental or unfavorable treatment of certain natural                    persons or    groups of persons that is unjustified or                    disproportionate to their social    behavior or its gravity;                    
                   (d) the placing on the market, the putting into service for                    this specific    purpose, or the use of an AI system for                    making risk assessments of natural    persons in order to                    assess or predict the risk of a natural person committing                    a criminal offense, based solely on the profiling of a                    natural person or on    assessing their personality traits                    and characteristics; this prohibition    shall not apply to                    AI systems used to support the human assessment of the                    involvement of a person in a criminal activity, which is                    already based on    objective and verifiable facts directly                    linked to a criminal activity;
                   (e) the placing on the market, the putting into service for                    this specific    purpose, or the use of AI systems that                    create or expand facial recognition    databases through the                    untargeted scraping of facial images from the internet    or                    CCTV footage;
                   (f) the placing on the market, the putting into service for                    this specific    purpose, or the use of AI systems to infer                    emotions of a natural person in    the areas of workplace                    and education institutions, except where the use of    the                    AI system is intended to be put in place or into the market                    for medical    or safety reasons;
                   (g) the placing on the market, the putting into service for                    this specific    purpose, or the use of biometric                    categorization systems that categorize    individually                    natural persons based on their biometric data to deduce or                    infer    their race, political opinions, trade union                    membership, religious or    philosophical beliefs, sex life                    or sexual orientation; this prohibition does    not cover                    any labeling or filtering of lawfully acquired biometric                    datasets,    such as images, based on biometric data or                    categorizing of biometric data in    the area of law                    enforcement;
                   (h) the use of ‘real-time’ remote biometric identification                    systems in    publicly accessible spaces for the purposes of                    law enforcement, unless and in    so far as such use is                    strictly necessary for one of the following objectives:                    
                   (i) the targeted search for specific victims of abduction,                    trafficking in    human beings or sexual exploitation of                    human beings, as well as the search    for missing persons;                    
                   (ii) the prevention of a specific, substantial and imminent                    threat to the    life or physical safety of natural persons                    or a genuine and present or    genuine and foreseeable                    threat of a terrorist attack;
                   (iii) the localization or identification of a person                    suspected of having    committed a criminal offense, for the                    purpose of conducting a criminal    investigation or                    prosecution or executing a criminal penalty for offenses                    referred to in                                            Annex II                                        and punishable in the Member    State concerned by a                    custodial sentence or a detention order for a maximum                    period of at least four years. Point h) of the first                    subparagraph is without    prejudice to Article 9 of                    Regulation (EU) 2016/679 for the processing of    biometric                    data for purposes other than law enforcement.
                   2. The use of ‘real-time’ remote biometric identification                    systems in publicly    accessible spaces for the purposes of                    law enforcement for any of the    objectives referred to in                    paragraph 1, first subparagraph, point (h), shall    be                    deployed for the purposes set out in that point only to                    confirm the    identity of the specifically targeted                    individual, and it shall take into    account the following                    elements:
                   (a) the nature of the situation giving rise to the possible                    use, in    particular the seriousness, probability and scale                    of the harm that would be    caused if the system were not                    used;
                   (b) the consequences of the use of the system for the rights                    and freedoms of    all persons concerned, in particular the                    seriousness, probability and scale    of those consequences.                    In addition, the use of ‘real-time’ remote biometric                    identification systems in publicly accessible spaces for the                    purposes of law    enforcement for any of the objectives                    referred to in paragraph 1, first    subparagraph, point                    (h), of this Article shall comply with necessary and                    proportionate safeguards and conditions in relation to the                    use in accordance    with the national law authorizing the                    use thereof, in particular as regards    the temporal,                    geographic and personal limitations. The use of the                    ‘real-time’    remote biometric identification system in                    publicly accessible spaces shall be    authorized only if                    the law enforcement authority has completed a fundamental                    rights impact assessment as provided for in                                            Article 27                                        and has registered the system in    the EU database                    according to                                            Article 49                                        . However, in duly justified cases    of urgency, the use of                    such systems may be commenced without the registration    in                    the EU database, provided that such registration is                    completed without    undue delay.
                   3. For the purposes of paragraph 1, first subparagraph,                    point (h) and    paragraph 2, each use for the purposes of                    law enforcement of a ‘real-time’    remote biometric                    identification system in publicly accessible spaces shall be                    subject to a prior authorization granted by a judicial                    authority or an    independent administrative authority                    whose decision is binding of the Member    State in which                    the use is to take place, issued upon a reasoned request and                    in accordance with the detailed rules of national law                    referred to in    paragraph 5. However, in a duly justified                    situation of urgency, the use of    such system may be                    commenced without an authorization provided that such                    authorization is requested without undue delay, at the                    latest within 24    hours. If such authorization is                    rejected, the use shall be stopped with    immediate effect                    and all the data, as well as the results and outputs of that                    use shall be immediately discarded and deleted. The                    competent judicial    authority or an independent                    administrative authority whose decision is    binding shall                    grant the authorization only where it is satisfied, on the                    basis of objective evidence or clear indications presented                    to it, that the    use of the ‘real-time’ remote biometric                    identification system concerned is    necessary for, and                    proportionate to, achieving one of the objectives                    specified in paragraph 1, first subparagraph, point (h), as                    identified in the    request and, in particular, remains                    limited to what is strictly necessary    concerning the                    period of time as well as the geographic and personal                    scope.  In deciding on the request,    that authority shall                    take into account the elements referred to in paragraph                    2. No decision that produces an adverse legal effect on a                    person may be taken    based solely on the output of the                    ‘real-time’ remote biometric identification    system.
                   4. Without prejudice to paragraph 3, each use of a                    ‘real-time’ remote    biometric identification system in                    publicly accessible spaces for law    enforcement purposes                    shall be notified to the relevant market surveillance                    authority and the national data protection authority in                    accordance with the    national rules referred to in                    paragraph 5. The notification shall, as a    minimum,                    contain the information specified under paragraph 6 and                    shall not    include sensitive operational data.
                   5. A Member State may decide to provide for the possibility                    to fully or    partially authorize the use of ‘real-time’                    remote biometric identification    systems in publicly                    accessible spaces for the purposes of law enforcement                    within the limits and under the conditions listed in                    paragraph 1, first    subparagraph, point (h), and                    paragraphs 2 and 3.  Member States concerned shall lay down                    in    their national law the necessary detailed rules for                    the request, issuance and    exercise of, as well as                    supervision and reporting relating to, the authorizations                    referred to in paragraph 3. Those rules shall also specify                    in respect of    which of the objectives listed in paragraph                    1, first subparagraph, point (h),    including which of the                    criminal offenses referred to in point (h)(iii)    thereof,                    the competent authorities may be authorized to use those                    systems for    the purposes of law enforcement. Member                    States shall notify those rules to    the Commission at the                    latest 30 days following the adoption thereof.  Member                    States may introduce, in accordance    with Union law, more                    restrictive laws on the use of remote biometric                    identification systems.
                   6. National market surveillance authorities and the national                    data protection    authorities of Member States that have                    been notified of the use of    ‘real-time’ remote biometric                    identification systems in publicly accessible    spaces for                    law enforcement purposes pursuant to paragraph 4 shall                    submit to    the Commission annual reports on such use.                    For that purpose, the Commission shall provide Member States                    and    national market surveillance and data protection                    authorities with a template,    including information on the                    number of the decisions taken by competent    judicial                    authorities or an independent administrative authority whose                    decision is binding upon requests for authorizations in                    accordance with    paragraph 3 and their result.
                   7. The Commission shall publish annual reports on the use of                    real-time remote    biometric identification systems in                    publicly accessible spaces for law    enforcement purposes,                    based on aggregated data in Member States on the basis    of                    the annual reports referred to in paragraph 6. Those annual                    reports shall    not include sensitive operational data of                    the related law enforcement    activities.                

           
               

                   High-risk                

           
               

                   1. Biometrics, in so far as their use is                    permitted    under relevant Union or national law: (a)                    remote biometric identification    systems. This shall not                    include AI systems intended to be used for biometric                    verification the sole purpose of which is to confirm that a                    specific natural    person is the person he or she claims to                    be;
                   (b) AI systems intended to be used for biometric                    categorization, according to    sensitive or protected                    attributes or characteristics based on the inference    of                    those attributes or characteristics;
                   (c) AI systems intended to be used for emotion recognition.                    
                   2. Critical infrastructure: AI    systems                    intended to be used as safety components in the management                    and    operation of critical digital infrastructure, road                    traffic, or in the supply    of water, gas, heating or                    electricity.
                   3. Education and vocational training:
                   (a) AI systems intended to be used to determine access or                    admission or to    assign natural persons to educational and                    vocational training institutions at    all levels;
                   (b) AI systems intended to be used to evaluate learning                    outcomes, including    when those outcomes are used to steer                    the learning process of natural persons    in educational                    and vocational training institutions at all levels;
                   (c) AI systems intended to be used for the purpose of                    assessing the    appropriate level of education that an                    individual will receive or will be    able to access, in the                    context of or within educational and vocational    training                    institutions at all levels;
                   (d) AI systems intended to be used for monitoring and                    detecting prohibited    behavior of students during tests in                    the context of or within educational and    vocational                    training institutions at all levels.
                   4.                                            Employment, workers management and access to                        self-employment                                        :
                   (a) AI systems intended to be used for the recruitment or                    selection of    natural persons, in particular to place                    targeted job advertisements, to    analyze and filter job                    applications, and to evaluate candidates;
                   (b) AI systems intended to be used to make decisions                    affecting terms of    work-related relationships, the                    promotion or termination of work-related    contractual                    relationships, to allocate tasks based on individual                    behavior or    personal traits or characteristics or to                    monitor and evaluate the performance    and behavior of                    persons in such relationships.
                   5.                                            Access to and enjoyment of essential private    services                        and essential public services and benefits                                        :
                   (a) AI systems intended to be used by public authorities or                    on behalf of    public authorities to evaluate the                    eligibility of natural persons for    essential public                    assistance benefits and services, including healthcare                    services, as well as to grant, reduce, revoke, or reclaim                    such benefits and    services;
                   (b) AI systems intended to be used to evaluate the                    creditworthiness of    natural persons or establish their                    credit score, with the exception of AI    systems used for                    the purpose of detecting financial fraud;
                   (c) AI systems intended to be used for risk assessment and                    pricing in    relation to natural persons in the case of                    life and health insurance;
                   (d) AI systems intended to evaluate and classify emergency                    calls by natural    persons or to be used to dispatch, or to                    establish priority in the    dispatching of, emergency first                    response services, including by police,    firefighters and                    medical aid, as well as of emergency healthcare patient                    triage systems.
                   6.                                            Law enforcement, in so far as their use is    permitted                        under relevant Union or national law:                                        
                   (a) AI systems intended to be used by or on behalf of law                    enforcement    authorities, or by Union institutions,                    bodies, offices or agencies in support    of law enforcement                    authorities or on their behalf to assess the risk of a                    natural person becoming the victim of criminal offenses;                    
                   (b) AI systems intended to be used by or on behalf of law                    enforcement    authorities or by Union institutions, bodies,                    offices or agencies in support    of law enforcement                    authorities as polygraphs or similar tools; EN United in                    diversity
                   (c) AI systems intended to be used by or on behalf of law                    enforcement    authorities, or by Union institutions,                    bodies, offices or agencies, in    support of law                    enforcement authorities to evaluate the reliability of                    evidence in the course of the investigation or prosecution                    of criminal    offenses;
                   (d) AI systems intended to be used by law enforcement                    authorities or on their    behalf or by Union institutions,                    bodies, offices or agencies in support of    law enforcement                    authorities for assessing the risk of a natural person                    offending or re-offending not solely on the basis of the                    profiling of natural    persons as referred to in Article                    3(4) of Directive (EU) 2016/680, or to    assess personality                    traits and characteristics or past criminal behavior of                    natural persons or groups;
                   (e) AI systems intended to be used by or on behalf of law                    enforcement    authorities or by Union institutions, bodies,                    offices or agencies in support    of law enforcement                    authorities for the profiling of natural persons as                    referred to in Article 3(4) of Directive (EU) 2016/680 in                    the course of the    detection, investigation or prosecution                    of criminal offenses.
                   7.                                            Migration, asylum and border control    management, in                        so far as their use is permitted under relevant Union or                        national law:                                        :
                   (a) AI systems intended to be used by or on behalf of                    competent public    authorities or by Union institutions,                    bodies, offices or agencies as    polygraphs or similar                    tools;
                   (b) AI systems intended to be used by or on behalf of                    competent public    authorities or by Union institutions,                    bodies, offices or agencies to assess a    risk, including a                    security risk, a risk of irregular migration, or a health                    risk, posed by a natural person who intends to enter or who                    has entered into    the territory of a Member State;
                   (c) AI systems intended to be used by or on behalf of                    competent public    authorities or by Union institutions,                    bodies, offices or agencies to assist    competent public                    authorities for the examination of applications for asylum,                    visa or residence permits and for associated complaints with                    regard to the    eligibility of the natural persons applying                    for a status, including related    assessments of the                    reliability of evidence;
                   (d) AI systems intended to be used by or on behalf of                    competent public    authorities, or by Union institutions,                    bodies, offices or agencies, in the    context of migration,                    asylum or border control management, for the purpose of                    detecting, recognizing or identifying natural persons, with                    the exception of    the verification of travel documents.                    
                   8.            

RECENT POSTS

LINKEDIN FEED

ícone