European Commission Vice-President
for the Digital Age and Commissioner for Competition Margrethe
Vestager has defended the EU's AI Act in an interview with the
Financial Times, arguing, on one hand, that "it won't harm
innovation and research but will strengthen it" and, on the
other, that it "creates predictability and legal certainty on
the market".
The European institutions have reached a political agreement on
the AI Act, the first attempt in the world to regulate the
sector, and this will have to be approved definitively by the
Council and the European Parliament.
French President Emmanuel Macron, however, has criticised the
agreement because he says the new rules risk putting European
tech companies behind those based in the United States and
China.
The British daily writes that Vestager has acknowledged that
European technology firms have a disadvantage with respect to
their US rivals in the development of AI, such as less access to
venture capital.
"The regulation in itself is not the only response," the
Commission Vice-President said.
"It creates market confidence. Then there are the investments
and, naturally, you need people to start to use (the AI
technology) because that is the only way to give shape to the
technology".
In the firing line of Paris, supported by Berlin and initially
by Rome, were the rules on the so-called foundation models at
the base of generative AI products such as ChatGPT in
particular.
"If foundation models are produced, and if one wants to apply
foundation models, one will know precisely what will be searched
for once the product is put into use," said Vestager,
reiterating the importance of encouraging innovation without
there being "a surplus of regulation".
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