London — More than 150 officials are urging the European Union to reconsider the world’s most comprehensive rules for artificial intelligence, saying on Friday that the upcoming rules will make it harder for Europe’s companies to compete with foreign rivals, especially when When it comes to the technology behind systems like ChatGPT. ,
Executives from companies ranging from French aircraft maker Airbus and carmaker Renault to Dutch beer giant Heineken signed an open letter to EU leaders, saying the 27-nation bloc’s unprecedented legislation could hinder the development of generative AI. Could That technology powers popular AI chatbots like ChatGPT to generate text, images, videos and audios that closely resemble human actions.
“Such regulation could lead to highly innovative companies moving their activities abroad” and investors would pull their money out of AI development in Europe, the letter said. “The result will be a significant productivity gap between the two sides of the Atlantic.”
Officials say laws requiring “rigorous compliance” would be ineffective when little is still known about the risks and uses of generative AI. He urged the EU to revise the AI Act to focus more broadly on the risks.
With growing concerns about the impact of AI on all parts of life, the letter acknowledges the “clear need to properly train these models and ensure their safe use.”
Corporate leaders called for a regulatory body of experts that could regularly adapt rules to new developments and respond to emerging risks. He also pointed to the need for transatlantic standards.
It is the latest letter to shed light on the future of AI, which has surprised users but raised concerns about data privacy, copyright infringement and disinformation. This has sent governments around the world scrambling to rein in the technology.
There are also fears about more existential threats to mankind, about which scientists and tech industry leaders, including high-level executives from Microsoft and Google, warned last month.
Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, and Geoffrey Hinton, the computer scientist known as the Godfather of AI, were among hundreds of prominent figures who signed that statement.
Meta’s chief AI scientist and another AI pioneer Yann LeCun were missing, having signed the letter to European authorities on Friday.
The EU is still finalizing its AI Act, and the rules are not expected to take effect for two years.
Dragos Tudorche, a Romanian member of the European Parliament who is co-leading the measure, said of the officials who signed the letter, “I believe they did not read the text, but rather reacted to the provocation of some people.” Is it.”
He said the letter’s “only concrete suggestions” are already part of the law, including “an industry-led process to define standards, a light regulatory regime demanding governance and transparency with industry at the table”. is included.
