Europe sets benchmark for rest of the world with landmark AI laws
Europe’s landmark rules on artificial intelligence will enter into force next month after EU countries endorsed a political deal reached in December, setting a potential global benchmark for the technology. The AI Act is more comprehensive than the United States’ approach and China’s approach, aiming to maintain social stability and state control. The legislation imposes strict transparency obligations on high-risk AI systems and restricts governments’ use of real-time biometric surveillance in public spaces. The new legislation will have a global reach, impacting companies outside the EU who use EU customer data in their AI platforms. Fines for violations range from 7.5 million euros to 35 million euros depending on the type of violations.