Unprecedented law to regulate artificial intelligence comes into force in the EU

“Today the Artificial Intelligence Act comes into force,” wrote Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, on the social network X.

This is “Europe’s pioneering framework for innovative and secure AI,” added the head of the executive arm of the 27-member bloc.

Von del Leyen said the new regulations “will boost the development of AI that Europeans can trust.”

Today, the Artificial Intelligence Act comes into force.

Europe’s pioneering framework for innovative and safe AI.

It will drive AI development that Europeans can trust.

And provide support to European SMEs and startups to bring cutting-edge AI solutions to market. pic.twitter.com/cRoVoRtEy0

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) August 1, 2024

“It will provide support to SMEs [pequeñas y medianas empresas] and European startups to bring cutting-edge AI solutions to market,” he continued.

Most of the legislation will apply from 2026, but some provisions will become binding as early as next year.

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These requirements will include, for example, human control, the establishment of technical documentation or the implementation of a risk management system.

Bans will be rare and will affect applications that run counter to European values, such as citizen rating systems or mass surveillance used in China.

The new regulation was adopted by the 27 EU Member States on 21 May after being adopted by the European Parliament with a large majority.

EU lawmakers reached an agreement on the text in December, after difficult negotiations in which some countries, such as France, feared excessive regulation that would threaten the development of the sector.