This opinion piece was previously published in Trouw.
Strict European legislation is a step in the right direction but beware of the continent becoming dependent on others, writes Holger Seitz, Patent Attorney at EP&C Patent Attorneys.
New European AI law
The European AI Act came into force this month. It’s an important step towards safe, ethical regulation of artificial intelligence (AI). While Europe once again opts for strict rules, China and the United States are taking a different course. What do European rules achieve when dangerous technologies know no borders?
Technological innovations develop in cycles. AI is the latest wave, comparable to the industrial revolution and the rise of the internet. Both brought huge opportunities, and serious risks. AI is no different, but the potential consequences are much greater and the risks more complex.
For example, hostile countries, groups or individuals could use AI to develop harmful technologies, such as cyberattacks on national security systems.
Devastating
Such attacks could cripple national infrastructure and escalate international tensions, with devastating results. The current cyber confrontations between Russia and Ukraine show how important this type of warfare has become.
Even with the new law, major risks remain. AI is a global technology. The devices we use every day, from smartphones to smart cars, generate huge amounts of data, often processed outside Europe, where we have little control over it.
The strict law also risks leaving the EU behind on innovation, as the rules drive AI companies elsewhere. This could make Europe more dependent on technology from other parts of the world.
Lessons from history
History shows that safety rules often arrive only after a new technology is in use. The UK, for example, introduced the Factory Act in 1833 in response to the appalling working conditions, especially for children, created by rapid industrialisation.
A more recent example is today’s global pollution, caused in part by the large-scale use of fossil fuels. We often only see which safety measures are needed once a technology has been in use for a while and the consequences appear.
Global rules
To avoid such (to put it mildly) nasty surprises, we need to limit AI’s risks in advance and regulate it globally. That means harmonising laws: each country keeps its own laws and authorities, but aligns them with international standards through treaties. For patents, the World Trade Organization, among others, oversees this.
Investing in AI research and development, as Matt Brittin, then president of Google EMEA, argued (Trouw, 8 August 2024), also matters for safe and ethical AI. The European AI Act is a step in the right direction, but without global cooperation and uniform rules, its effectiveness will remain limited.
The role of the United Nations
We will only be able to use AI safely and ethically through international cooperation, ideally led by the United Nations. The future of AI depends on our willingness to develop consistent global policies.
