Europe’s technological lag on the development of Artificial Intelligence may provide an opportunity for a pause for reflection, or better yet, thought, to put the question of ethics on the table.
The European Commission’s approach toward AI, as expressed by The White Paper on Artificial Intelligence, published on Feb. 19, 2020, focuses on human rights and purpose.
The purpose of the AI ACT, the first global regulation on artificial intelligence, approved by the European Union, is “to promote the deployment of anthropocentric and reliable artificial intelligence (AI) while ensuring a high level of protection of health, safety and fundamental rights enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.”
The goal is to reach an international consensus on an anthropocentric Artificial Intelligence, respecting the principles of:
- Autonomy of man
- Confidentiality
- Transparency
- Diversity
- Social and environmental well-being
- Responsibility
Issues of competition and wealth redistribution are also at the center of debate in Europe. The impact of AI on existing professions is a major social issue as millions of jobs will be replaced by AI-based automated systems.
The tax issue (web tax, robot tax) is related to new technologies: even in the U.S., several key players in AI-related technological evolution, including Bill Gates, propose a tax on their use, while others oppose it. Some of the requirements of the AI ACT, e.g., data storage on servers in the EU, transparency of sources with respect to copyright, privacy protection, would make it de facto illegal to use many U.S. AI models in Europe, particularly in public agencies. In fact, many multinational companies have banned employees from using the most popular U.S. AI platforms in their professional activities.
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