Landmark Law on Artificial Intelligence Is Approved by the European Parliament

In an article contributed to The Journal of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence & Law, Charlotte E. Walker-Osborn, Christiane Stuetzle, Lokke Moerel, Marijn Storm, and Stephan Kreß discuss the highly anticipated EU Artificial Intelligence Act that was recently approved by the European Parliament.

“With extraterritorial reach and wide-reaching ramifications for providers, deployers, and users of artificial intelligence (AI), the Artificial Intelligence Act was finally approved by the European Parliament (EP) on March 13, 2024.”

“The Act aims to safeguard the use of AI systems within the European Union as well as prohibiting certain AI outright. The AI Act applies to:

• Providers placing AI systems or models on the market in the European Union or putting into service AI systems or placing on the market general purpose AI (GPAI) models in the European Union, irrespective of whether those providers are located within or outside the European Union;

• Deployers of AI systems that have their place of establishment in or that are located within the European Union;

• Providers and deployers of AI systems that have their place of establishment or that are located in a third country in situations where the output produced by the AI system is used in the European Union;

• Importers and distributors of AI systems into or within the European Union;

•  Product manufacturers that place an AI system on the market or put into service an AI system within the European Union together with their product and under their own name or trademark;

• Authorized representatives of AI systems where the providers are not established in the European Union; and

• Affected persons or citizens located in the European Union.

Following a final linguistic check, the Act requires formal endorsement by the European Council and it is expected to be finally adopted before the end of the EP’s legislature in June 2024.

The AI Act will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. It will be fully applicable 24 months after its entry into force. However, certain provisions will come into force and need to be complied with sooner.”

Read the full article.