Following years of preparation, the EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act finally entered into force on 1st August 2024 [1]. As previously reported by us here, the Act aims to promote the responsible development and use of AI by categorising AI applications into different risk categories. The AI Act will have implications for ASEAN companies developing and/or using AI in the EU, and companies should take note of the risk categories and transparency requirements.
The risk categories [2] as stated under the AI Act are:
- Unacceptable Risk
- High-Risk
- Specific Transparency Risk
- Minimal Risk
- Systemic Risks from General Purpose AI Models
Some of the notable features of the AI Act include the prohibition of the use of AI that falls under the ‘unacceptable risk’ categories six months after the Act comes into force, and rules for general-purpose AI models, which will apply after 12 months. AI operators are also required to comply with transparency requirements [3]. Apart these provisions, the other parts of the Act are expected to be applied only 2 years from now (i.e. from 2 August 2026),
The next step in the development of the AI Act is the drafting of a general AI Code of Practice to accompany the Act, the first draft of which is anticipated to be completed in 9 months. If adopted, this Code of Practice is expected to be the framework for the regulation of General Purpose AI in the EU. The European AI Office has issued a call for input from industry and experts until 25 August 2024. The link to participate in this process can be found here.
As part of the adoption of the AI Act, the European Commision is also promoting the AI Pact, which aims to support and encourage organisations to plan ahead of implementing measures of the AI Act. The Pact rests on two pillars: the collection and exchange of information within the AI Pact network, and the facilitation and communication of company pledges [4]. The AI Pact acts as a platform for companies to share, network and plan their AI strategies in the European Union. The link to join the AI Pact can be found here.
[1] https://commission.europa.eu/news/ai-act-enters-force-2024-08-01_en
[2] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/QANDA_21_1683
[4] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/ai-pact
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