Explained: EU and G7 nations to soon ink AI laws, their viability and validity in global context

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Explained: EU and G7 nations to soon ink AI laws, their viability and validity in global context


AI integration into various avenues of life is only to increase with time. (Image Credit: Bing Image Creator/Dall-E).


‘Malevolent’ or ‘Existential Threat’; Artificial Intelligence’s arrival now demands regulations to be put in place whatever may be the final outcome of the technology






The story

This week was big when it came to AI regulations in the Western world, something that India should also take a note of.

On Sunday, during an interview with Reuters at a Group of Seven digital ministers’ meeting in Takasaki, Japan, European Union tech regulation chief Margrethe Vestager said they are likely to reach a political agreement this year to pave the way for the world’s first major artificial intelligence (AI) legislation.

“There was no reason to hesitate and to wait for the legislation to be passed to accelerate the necessary discussions to provide the changes in all the systems where AI will have an enormous influence,” she added, when asked about steps before any agreement takes force.

Over the same weekend, leaders from all the G7 nations also agreed that “risk-based” regulation should be adopted regarding AI.

What is all this recent fuss about AI?

Artificial Intelligence or AI is the simulation of human intelligence and cognitive abilities by machines. Akin to human intelligence skills, AI enables machines to collect and then synthesise huge databases and apply human brain-like cognitive functions to then perform advanced intelligence functions.

It uses logic, reasoning, linguistics, psychology and integrates them with computer sciences and data sciences to model the brain’s problem solving skills. With time AI has gained prominence in the modern world as more and more tasks are now made possible with AI use.

Incorporated in search engines, in synthesising human speech, self-driving, generative tools like Chat GPT, in strategic games like chess, AI applications have been steadily on the rise.

But optimism related to AI has steadily been replaced with pessimism, initiated by the loss of AI funding termed as the ‘AI winter’. Now with people like Elon Musk voicing negative opinions on AI publicly, fears around AI have overtaken the public consciousness.

From the fear of losing jobs to even existential risk to humanity as AI becomes more ‘intelligent’ and exponentially develops its capacities and becomes at odds with humanities goals and with a different moral system, it is anyone’s guess as to what will be the final outcome as AI develops but it is about time some rules and regulations about its governance are built by world governments.

EU and G7 regulations 

Coming at the back of such concerns and progress in AI, both the G7 countries and the EU, which has been fielding AI rules for some time now, came up with strict promises for AI regulations till the end of this year.

The laws are bound to be formulated looking at various aspects of the AI debate. Looking at ‘robot rights’, as AI and machines become more intelligent and self-aware, would their intelligence beget suffering and should they also be treated as citizens and given similar rights.

On the other side, the fear of AI programming itself as it looks to annihilate the human race is another fear that is ever pervading while making such legislation.

Between these two extremes are concerns of copyright, creative control, on use of AI by authoritarian governments in use for spying, surveillance, use by terrorist and anti-social elements in spreading misinformation and propaganda, increased hacking and cyber crime. The wise and controlled use of AI is now imperative, hence the formulation of these legislations.

Aimed with a view to have a range of “implications for the development of AI regulation globally, as well as efforts to build international cooperation on AI”, the proposed Artificial Intelligence Act to be mandated by the European Union is set to classify AI by probable risks and mandate it in accordance with such risks.

It looks to frame rules in accordance with  data quality, transparency, human oversight and accountability. 

The main feature that holds the AI act together is the four risk tiers it incorporates; unacceptable, high, limited and minimal. It determines the level of risk an AI technology could pose to the health and safety or fundamental rights of a person. 

Once the European Parliament adopts the legislation, the interinstitutional negotiations process of the EU, called trilogues, will begin as the final step and implement the law.

On the other hand, the G7 countries too are developing their own AI law, which stresses on other important AI parameters as well.

It aims to promote further research as it feels the current work on AI is not explainable enough to the general public to make an informed view about the extent to which its use should be incorporated. Unlike the EU law, it stresses on citizens’ rights and asks questions around the need for the general public to be AI ready.

Public policy debate on the destructive/military usage of AI should also be promoted as well as a healthy engagement amongst public and private enterprises amongst AI use should also be an important undertaking under the new proposed regulations.

Japanese Digital Minister Taro Kono, chair of G7 this year, said during his address in the opening session of the weekend’s meeting that, “While the advancement of AI technologies can make a business of the government and the private sector more efficient and more productive, it could create unexpected challenges to democracy.” 

These regulations by both the G7 countries and EU point out the importance of drafting resolutions and legislations on AI as we go forward with developing the technology and it is something that not only the West but the whole world should follow.

Is it time for India to look at some regulations as well

India currently does not have much regulation when it comes to the use of AI, despite being one of the most tech-educated countries. A national strategy for artificial intelligence prepared by NITI Aayog has been formulated by the government and is the only major guideline in place for AI use, though even it is nascent and not fully in power to harness the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in various fields such as healthcare, education, agriculture, smart cities and infrastructure in India.

India and Indians abroad which make up the bulk of both the users and pioneers in computer sciences are the ones that should be a priority when it comes to AI management and regulations. It is imperative that a country that has some of the highest internet users should be left without any AI regulations.

Though the use of AI is not pervasive in a country as big as India, it is still important to understand that the fastly developing tool can be knocking on our doors anytime and India with its mission of technological prowess can thus be not left behind.

So India should follow in the footsteps of both the EU and the G7 countries and start to frame stringent and efficient AI regulations of its own as the power and use of AI is expected to exponentially grow with time.

 

 

 


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