Thread by @JanoschDelcker

The EU today unveiled its plan how to regulate artificial intelligence. Here are my key takeaways:

For now, Brussels seems to stay true to its plan to impose tough rules on 'high-risk' AI — dealing a blow to the tech industry and its lobbyists.

[thread]
ec.europa.eu/info/sites/inf…

That means that high-risk AI systems could soon have to undergo rigorous testing before they can be deployed or sold within the EU's vast internal market (which is worth billions), according to the plan. /2

“So-called high-risk AI — this is AI that potentially interferes with people’s rights — have to be tested and certified before they reach our single market,” European Commission President @vonderleyen said when she presented the document. /3

She didn’t explicitly name them but was referring to the use of so-called “conformity assessments” for AI systems that pose significant risks in sectors including recruitment, healthcare, transport and law enforcement. /4

(Policy wonks call that "ex ante" — "before the event" — regulation: the idea is to come up with pre-existing rules for technology rather than have rules take shape as courts or regulators issue rulings.) /5

Well... there's been intense industry lobbying behind closed doors to scrap respective passages from the final document. /7

(That’s according to over half a dozen conversations I had over the past weeks with both sides of the table, both EU officials as well as lobbyists.) /8

But the "conformity assessments" are still included in the final document, with the EU going even further: The White Paper also suggests that some AI systems might have to be retrained before they can hit the European market. /9

What's next?

What's in the White Paper isn't legally binding — yet. Over the next months, the Commission will collect feedback from the industry, national governments and civil society, and draft firm legislation. Expect first laws during the last three months of the year. /10

And the lobbying battle over what will end up in the fine print of the rules has only begun... /end