EU countries, lawmakers fail to reach deal on watered-down AI rules
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
BRUSSELS, April 29 : EU countries and European Parliament lawmakers failed to reach a deal on watered-down landmark artificial intelligence rules after 12 hours of negotiations on Tuesday and will resume talks next month.
The changes to the AI Act, which entered into force in August 2024 with key elements set to be enforced in stages starting this year, are part of the European Commission's Digital Omnibus, which aims to simplify a slew of regulations in the digital sector to help businesses catch up with U.S. and Asian rivals.
Europe's AI rules, considered to be the strictest in the world, came amid concerns about the impact of the technology on children, workers, companies and cybersecurity.
"It was not possible to reach an agreement with the European Parliament," a Cypriot official said. Cyprus currently holds the rotating EU Council presidency.
CNA Games
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less
Dutch lawmaker Kim van Sparrentak criticised the failure to reach a deal.
"Big Tech is probably popping champagne. While European companies that care about safety and did their homework now face regulatory chaos," she said in a statement.
People with direct knowledge of the negotiations said the next round of discussions will likely be in two weeks' time.
They said the negotiations which started at 1100 GMT on Tuesday were stymied by some countries and some lawmakers' insistence that industries already subject to sectoral regulations, such as product safety rules, should be exempted from the AI legislation.
The AI regulation sets out stricter requirements on the use of the technology in "high-risk" areas such as biometric identification, utilities supply, health, creditworthiness and law enforcement.
The Omnibus package also includes the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the e-Privacy Directive and the Data Act, among others.
Proposed changes to these regulations and the AI Act have drawn criticism from privacy activists and civil rights groups about caving to Big Tech.
Newsletter
Week in Review
Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review
Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app