France, Germany, Italy must not undermine AI Act - Amnesty

(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 29 - "EU Member States, such as France, Germany and Italy, must not undermine the AI Act by bowing to the tech industry's claims that adoption of the AI Act will lead to heavy-handed regulation that would curb innovation," said Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard in a statement after Rome, Paris and Berlin came out against introducing "un-tested norms" on foundation models such as GPT-4, the basis of the ChatGPT chatbot, instead preferring "compulsory self-regulation through codes of conduct" to avoid burdening companies with excessive administration that could stifle innovation.
    "Let us not forget that 'innovation versus regulation' is a false dichotomy that has for years been peddled by tech companies to evade meaningful accountability and binding regulation," continued Callamard, highlighting the "concentration of power of a handful of tech companies who seek to set the terms of the world's first comprehensive AI rulebook". "It is well documented how AI technologies magnify human rights harms and discrimination when used for mass surveillance, policing, welfare distribution and at borders," she went on, adding that "marginalized groups, including migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are impacted and targeted the most".
    The Amnesty International chief said it is "imperative" that France, Germany and Italy "stop delaying the negotiations process" and that EU lawmakers focus on ensuring that "crucial human rights protections are coded in law before the end of the current EU mandate" in 2024. (ANSA).