EU sees political agreement on AI law this year

Safety first: Vestager at a news conference prior to the G7 digital ministers’ meeting in Takasaki. The EU’s technology regulation chief says there’s a need ‘for us to show the political leadership’ to make sure that one can safely use AI. — Reuters

TOKYO: The European Union (EU) is likely to reach a political agreement this year that will pave the way for the world’s first major artificial intelligence (AI) law, the bloc’s tech regulation chief Margrethe Vestager says.

This follows a preliminary deal reached last Thursday by members of the European Parliament to push through the draft of the eurozone’s Artificial Intelligence Act for a vote by a committee of lawmakers on May 11.