The new EU proposal for AI regulation is gaining momentum as EU lawmakers recently finalized measures to regulate AI-powered chatbot systems such as ChatGPT and generative AI. This draft bill, which was published two years ago and outlined copyright protection as a key component of the legislation, had only one brief mention of the word “chatbot”. However, the recent surge of interest in generative AI, which was sparked when OpenAI revealed ChatGPT six months ago, has accelerated the speed of decision-making.
This quick step is a rare example of consensus in Brussels, and the bloc’s 108-page proposal for the AI Act has finally been updated. The draft bill includes provisions that would oblige companies to disclose any copyrighted material used in AI-generated content such as deepfakes, the images or audio that are designed to impersonate a human being. This tough new proposal was made by Dragos Tudorache and Brando Benifei, two of the dozen MEPs involved in the legislation, and received cross-party support.
An organization led by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and Twitter, issued a letter warning of the existential risk of AI, and called for stricter regulations. This spurred the MEPs to recognize the need to control the development of advanced AI, and to sign an open letter agreeing with some parts of Musk’s letter and urging leaders to hold a summit for this purpose.
The popularity of ChatGPT – the world’s fastest growing app since its launch in November – has spurred a flurry of activity from Big Tech competitors and a surge of investment in generative AI startups such as Anthropic and Midjourney. To keep AI in check, the draft bill obliges companies to request permission from rights holders before using the data, however, MEPs rejected this proposal as too restrictive and something that could disrupt the emerging industry.
Another key player in this fast-moving narrative is OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, which has also faced criticism for refusing to share details of the dataset used to train its software. After a heated and productive debate, MEPs agreed on the need for special legislation to govern the use of generative AI, and this could lead to a landmark breakthrough in creating a safe artificial intelligence ecosystem.
The committee will cast their votes on the deal on May 11th, and if successful, the next step will be negotiations between the European Commission, EU member states and the European Parliament. It is expected to take years for this legislation to fully come into force.
OpenAI is one of the most important players in the AI industry. It is leading the way in artificial intelligence research and development, with the mission to ensure that AI is developed safely and ethically. The company has made strides in generative models, natural language processing, computer vision and robotics, which could end up revolutionizing the AI landscape.
Elon Musk is a renowned entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist. Arguably the world’s most famous tech entrepreneur, he has become well known for his visionary outlook on the future. He is the founder of several companies, such as Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink and The Boring Company, and his ambitious projects have pushed the boundaries of technology and made a strong impact on society. His letter on the existential risk of AI has drawn significant attention and sparked a debate on the regulation of advanced artificial intelligence technologies.
