EU aims to set global standards for AI, fines for violations

FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 24, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission on Wednesday announced tough draft rules governing the use of artificial intelligence (AI), including hefty fines for violations, a ban on surveillance with a few exceptions and strict safeguards for high risk AI applications.

The AI rules could help the European Union take the lead in regulating a technology that critics say has harmful social effects and can be used as a tool for social control by repressive governments. Supporters see it as an engine of economic growth.