In this illustration taken on June 23, 2023, the words AI (artificial intelligence) are placed on a computer motherboard.Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File photo Obtaining license rights
BERLIN, Nov. 18 (Reuters) – France, Germany and Italy have reached an agreement on how artificial intelligence should be regulated, according to a joint document seen by Reuters, which is expected to accelerate negotiations at the European level.
The three governments support commitments that, while voluntary, are binding on small and large AI providers in the European Union who sign up.
The European Commission, European Parliament and Council of the European Union are negotiating how the European Union should position itself.
In June, the European Parliament introduced the AI Act, which aims to harness the transformative power of AI while limiting the risks of AI applications and avoiding discriminatory effects.
During the debate, the European Parliament proposed that the Code of Conduct should initially only bind large AI providers, primarily in the United States.
The three EU governments said that this clear competitive advantage for small European providers could come with the downside of reducing trust in the provider and leading to a loss of customers.
Therefore, rules of conduct and transparency should be binding for everyone, they said.
The newspaper said no sanctions should be imposed initially.
However, if a violation of the code of conduct is discovered after a certain period of time, sanctions may be imposed. In the future, European authorities will monitor compliance with the standards, the paper said.
Germany’s Economics Ministry, which is responsible for the issue along with the Digital Ministry, said laws and state controls should not regulate AI itself, but rather its applications.
Digital Minister Volker Wissing told Reuters he was very pleased to have reached an agreement with France and Germany to limit only the use of AI.
“If we want to play in the world’s top AI leagues, we need to regulate applications, not technology,” Wissing said.
Economic Secretary Franziska Brantner told Reuters it was important to take advantage of opportunities and limit risks.
“We have developed a proposal that allows us to ensure a balance between both objectives in technical and legal areas that are yet to be defined,” Brantner said.
As governments around the world seek to capture the economic benefits of AI, the UK hosted its first AI Safety Summit in November.
The German government will host a digital summit bringing together political, business and scientific representatives on Monday and Tuesday in Jena, Thuringia.
Issues surrounding AI will also be on the agenda when the German and Italian governments meet in Berlin on Wednesday.
Report by Andreas Linke. Written by Maria Martinez.Editing: Mike Harrison and Barbara Lewis
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