An annotated image from the IBM Diversity in Faces dataset for facial recognition systems.
IBM
LONDON – The use of artificial intelligence software for mass surveillance and ranking of social behavior could soon be banned in Europe, according to draft legislation that has been distributed online.
The 81-page document, which was first reported by Politico, says that “non-discriminatory surveillance of individuals should be prohibited when it is generally applied to all persons without differentiation”.
He adds that surveillance methods could include monitoring and tracking people in digital and physical environments.
With regard to the rating of social credits, which is already used in China, the draft legislation states: “AI systems used for general social assessment” should be banned.
Some uses of “high risk” AI may be banned altogether, according to the document, while others may not be able to enter the block if they do not meet certain standards.
A spokesman for the European Commission told CNBC: “The Commission is due to adopt the regulatory framework for IM on Wednesday, April 21, 2021. Any text you may see earlier is not, by definition, ‘legitimate’ – we do not comment leaks. ”
Balancing act
High-risk AI systems should be inspected for implementation, and system creators may need to demonstrate that they have been trained with unbiased data sets in a traceable manner and under human supervision.
Companies developing AI inside and outside the EU could be fined € 20 million ($ 24 million) or 4% of global revenue if they break laws that have not yet been introduced.
The proposals are to be officially announced next week by the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, and may be amended until then. It will have to be voted on before it can be introduced.
The European Commission is trying to find the right balance between supporting innovation and ensuring that AI benefits its 500 million inhabitants. If the proposals are adopted, then Europe could be different from the US and China, which have not yet introduced any serious AI regulations.
Omer Tene, vice president of the International Association of Privacy Professionals, said via Twitter that the legislation “represents the typical Brussels approach to new technologies and innovations. When in doubt, regulate.”
Samim Winiger, a researcher in the field of artificial intelligence in Berlin, Germany, told CNBC that the EU is “far behind” China and the US in the AI race.
“I find it quite difficult to understand how the introduction of highly complex and highly intelligent AI regulations in a niche market will have any real impact on the development of ‘AI’ globally,” he said.