European Parliament: EU should be a global standard-setter in AI

The European Parliament aims for the EU to become a global standard-setter in AI, highlighting its potential benefits in various sectors, while also addressing challenges like ethical and legal concerns. Regulatory intervention should align with the level of risk posed by AI systems.

The plenary of the European Parliament has adopted a resolution outlining a series of recommendations related to artificial intelligence, as developed by the parliament’s Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age (AIDA) (which concluded its work in March 2022). The resolution argues that the EU lags behind in the global race for tech leadership and calls on the block to act as a global standard-setter in the field of AI. The document notes that the public debate around the use of AI should highlight the technology’s potential for good; as such, it explores the benefits of AI in several areas, including health, environment, combatting pandemics and global hunger, and enhancing people’s quality of life. Challenges associated with AI are also highlighted, especially when it comes to ethical and legal questions. The report notes the importance of having standards in place for the responsible use of AI, in line with fundamental human rights principles. Last, but not least, the resolution stresses that the EU should ensure that the level of regulatory intervention related to AI should be proportionate to the type of risk that stems from the use of specific AI systems.