European Council gives final nod to AI rules

BRUSSELS, May 21 — The European Council announced on Tuesday that ministers from the European Union
(EU) member states have given their final approval to the bloc’s artificial intelligence (Al) act.
The Al Act has adopted a risk-based approach, subjecting higher-risk Al applications to stricter regulation.
The Act bans Al systems involved in cognitive behavioral manipulation and social scoring within the EU. It also prohibits the use of Al for predictive policing based on profiling and systems that use biometric data to categorize people according to specific categories such as race, religion, or sexual orientation.
For general-purpose Al systems, the Act requires compliance with transparency requirements if they do not pose systemic risks.
However, those with systemic risks must comply with stricter rules.
Notably, the EU’s Al Act exempts systems used exclusively for military, defense, and research purposes from these regulations.
To ensure proper enforcement, the Act establishes several governing bodies, including an Al office, a scientific panel of experts, an Al board with representatives from member states, and an advisory forum for stakeholders.
Once signed by the presidents of the European Parliament and the Council, the legislative act will be published in the EU’s Official Journal and will enter into force 20 days after publication.