Bitkom on the AI Act debate  

• Committees of the EU Parliament voted on their AI Act draft today
• Berg: "We should not push AI out of Europe".

Berlin, 11th May 2023 - One year ago, on 21 April 2022, the EU Commission presented its proposal for regulating artificial intelligence with the AI Act, which was then widely discussed. In December, the Council agreed on a proposal, and today the relevant committees of the EU Parliament have now voted on the amendments. This committee text will be the basis for the vote of the plenary, in other words the entire Parliament, which is expected to take place in June. Bitkom President Achim Berg states:

"We warn against pushing AI out of Germany and Europe through excessive regulation. How Europe relates itself to AI will have a major impact on our future competitiveness and prosperity. The past few months have hinted at the enormous potential of this technology with breakthroughs around generative AI such as ChatGPT. By imposing bans or excessively strict requirements, as some members of the European Parliament have discussed, we will at most ensure that AI development takes place outside Europe in the future and that experts from Germany and other European countries apply their knowledge elsewhere. We should not push AI out of Europe. AI needs regulation, but the AI Act must focus on those applications that potentially entail a high risk, such as in the health or mobility sectors. Blanket regulations for a technology do not help and will stifle research and development as well as the development of business models.

Further negotiations on the AI Act must not impose unnecessary and excessive requirements on non-critical applications - the European Parliament's proposal is a step in the right direction here. Companies also need clear, practicable rules. Already today, AI does not take place in a legal vacuum; a multitude of rules apply, from copyright to data protection. It is important not to allow contradictions and new legal uncertainties to arise."