European Parliament’s special AI committee concludes work

The European Parliament’s Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age (AIDA) has concluded its work with the adoption of its draft report (in the form of a draft parliamentary resolution). The report – to be put to a vote by the parliament’s plenary in May 2022 – calls on the EU to act as a global standard-setter in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). The document notes that the public debate around the use of AI should highlight the technology’s potential for good; as such, it explores the benefits of AI in several areas, including health, environment, combatting pandemics and global hunger, and enhancing people’s quality of life. Challenges associated with AI are also highlighted, especially when it comes to ethical and legal questions. The report notes the importance of having standards in place for the responsible use of AI, in line with fundamental human rights principles. Last, but not least, the report stresses that the EU should ensure that the level of regulatory intervention related to AI should be proportionate to the type of risk that stems from the use of specific AI systems.