Summary
The European Parliament Approves the World's First Comprehensive AI Legislation
On March 13, 2024, during its plenary session, the European Parliament approved the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council Establishing Harmonised Rules on Artificial Intelligence (AI Act). This approval came after the AI Act was signed by the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) on February 2, 2024, and received backing from both the Internal Market (IMCO) and the Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs (LIBE) Committees on February 13, 2024.
The Parliament has stated that the AI Act is pending a final review by legal and linguistic experts and is anticipated to be officially passed before the current legislative term ends, utilizing the correction process known as the corrigendum procedure. Additionally, the AI Act requires formal approval from the Council of the European Union. The legislation will become fully enforceable 24 months after it takes effect, with the following exceptions:
- Prohibitions on certain practices will be effective six months after enactment;
- Implementation of codes of practice will start nine months after enactment;
- Rules for general-purpose AI, including governance, will be implemented 12 months after enactment;
- Requirements for high-risk systems will come into effect 36 months after enactment.
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