Germany, France and Italy Reach Agreement on AI Regulation

(Patria) - Germany, France and Italy have reached an agreement on how artificial intelligence (AI) should be regulated in the future, according to a joint document seen by Reuters, which is expected to accelerate negotiations at the European level.

The three governments advocate for binding voluntary commitments for both large and small AI providers in the European Union. The European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU are currently negotiating how the bloc should position itself in this field.
The Parliament presented the "Artificial Intelligence Act" in June with the aim of avoiding security risks from AI applications and preventing discriminatory effects, without slowing down the innovative power of this new technology in Europe.

During discussions, the European Parliament proposed that the code of conduct initially be binding only for large AI providers, primarily from the United States.

However, the three governments warned of an apparent competitive advantage for smaller European providers. This could lead to lower trust in the safety of those providers, and consequently fewer customers. Therefore, rules of conduct and transparency should be binding for all, they add.

Initially, no sanctions should be introduced, the document states. However, if violations of the code of conduct are identified after a certain period, a system of sanctions could be established. In the future, a European body will monitor compliance with the standards.

The German Ministry of Economics, which is responsible for this topic together with the Ministry of Digital Affairs, stated that laws and state control should not regulate artificial intelligence itself, but its application. The state should not specifically regulate the development of AI models that are not yet in use or have not yet been released to the market.

The German government is hosting a digital summit in Jena, in the federal state of Thuringia, on Monday and Tuesday, with representatives from politics, business and science participating.
Issues concerning artificial intelligence will be on the agenda when the German and Italian governments hold talks in Berlin on Wednesday.