EU achieves historic AI regulations agreement in landmark talks – world's first of its kind

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AI services like ChatGPT that has promised to transform everyday life and spurred warnings of existential dangers to humanity. Negotiators from the European Parliament and the bloc's 27 member countries overcame big differences on controversial points including generative AI and police use of facial recognition surveillance to sign a tentative political agreement for the Artificial Intelligence Act.

“Deal!" tweeted European Commissioner Thierry Breton, just before midnight. “The EU becomes the very first continent to set clear rules for the use of AI." The result came after marathon closed-door talks this week, with the initial session lasting 22 hours before a second round kicked off Friday morning.

Officials were under the gun to secure a political victory for the flagship legislation but were expected to leave the door open to further talks to work out the fine print, likely to bring more backroom lobbying. The EU took an early lead in the global race to draw up AI guardrails when it unveiled the first draft of its rulebook in 2021.

The recent boom in generative AI, however, sent European officials scrambling to update a proposal poised to serve as a blueprint for the world. The European Parliament will still need to vote on it early next year, but with the deal done that’s a formality, Brando Benifei, an Italian lawmaker co-leading the body’s negotiating efforts, told The Associated Press late Friday.

“It’s very very good," he said by text message after being asked if it included everything he wanted. “Obviously we had to accept some compromises but overall very good." The eventual law wouldn’t fully take effect until 2025 at the earliest and threatens stiff financial penalties for violations of up to 35 million