Today, the European Union Parliament authorized a new law intended to uphold safety and adherence to fundamental human rights in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence (AI), while also fostering innovation.

According to a press release on the EU parliament’s website, MEPs endorsed the new Artificial Intelligence Act, which was agreed upon in negotiations with member states last December, with 523 votes in favor, 46 against, and 49 abstentions.

New regulation classifies technology into different risk categories, ranging from unacceptable (leading to banned applications) to high, medium, and low levels of hazard.

Certain AI applications that endanger citizens’ rights are now prohibited under the new regulations. These include biometric classification systems that rely on sensitive attributes, as well as indiscriminate collection of facial images from the internet or CCTV footage for the purpose of creating facial recognition databases. Additionally, emotion recognition in workplaces and schools, social scoring, predictive policing that solely relies on profiling or assessing personal characteristics, and AI that manipulates human behavior or exploits vulnerabilities are also explicitly forbidden.

Law enforcement is generally prohibited from using biometric identification systems (RBI) under the AI Act, unless specific situations are outlined and defined. Only if stringent safeguards are upheld can real-time RBI be utilized.

During the plenary debate on Tuesday, Brando Benifei, co-rapporteur of the Internal Market Committee, highlighted the significance of the world’s inaugural enforceable legislation on artificial intelligence. This law aims to minimize risks, foster opportunities, address discrimination, and promote transparency. Benifei stressed that the European Union will proscribe objectionable AI practices and safeguard the rights of workers and citizens.

New law is expected to go into effect in May, concluding the legislative session, once it has successfully completed final evaluations and obtained approval from the European Council.

The EU AI Act comes amid mounting global concerns over the potential for abuse of the technology, including the possibility of ‘deepfakes’ or such forms of artificial intelligence that generate false events, including photos and videos. Some countries, including China and India, have been issuing guidelines for regulating AI. Some US cities and states have also passed legislation restricting use of the technology in certain areas such as police investigations and hiring.

The EU AI Act is introduced in response to increasing worldwide worries about the potential misuse of the technology, including the creation of deceptive content like ‘deepfakes’. Several countries, such as China and India, have already established guidelines for regulating AI, while various cities and states in the US have enacted laws that limit its use in specific domains, such as policing and employment.