European Commission issues internal guidelines on using generative AI models

The European Commission has issued internal guidelines for staff on using and interacting with online generative AI models. The guidelines, adopted by the Commission’s Information Management Steering Board on 27 April, cover third-party tools publicly available online, such as ChatGPT, Bard, and Stable Diffusion. The document is meant to guide staff members in managing the risks and limitations of generative AI, as well as to boost efficiency and improve the quality of work office productivity. 

The guidelines note that the discussed risks and limitations are not necessarily relevant for internally developed generative AI tools from the Commission, and will be assessed case by case under the existing corporate governance for IT systems. The document outlines potential risks and limitations, such as disclosing sensitive information or personal data to the public, potential shortcomings of the AI model, lack of transparency, and potential violation of intellectual property rights. 

The European Commission has therefore proposed that EU officials ‘should always critically assess any response produced by an online available generative AI model for potential biases and factually inaccurate information’. Staff members are also requested to assess whether the AI-generated output violates intellectual property rights and copyright in particular. Additionally, EU staff are forbidden from sharing any information that is not already in the public domain, nor personal data, with an online available generative AI model.