Factbox: Governments race to regulate AI tools

Melco International Development

22/09/2023 11:16

(Adds Poland, updates EU section with details on AI Act)
       Sept 22 (Reuters) - Rapid advances in artificial
intelligence (AI) such as Microsoft-backed OpenAI's ChatGPT are
complicating governments' efforts to agree laws governing the
use of the technology.
    Here are the latest steps national and international
governing bodies are taking to regulate AI tools:

    AUSTRALIA
    * Planning regulations
    Australia will make search engines draft new codes to
prevent the sharing of child sexual abuse material created by AI
and the production of deepfake versions of the same material,
the country's internet regulator said on Sept. 8.

    BRITAIN    
    * Planning regulations
    Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) set out
seven principles on Sept. 18 designed to make developers
accountable, prevent Big Tech tying up the tech in their walled
platforms, and stop anti-competitive conduct like bundling.
    The proposed principles, which come six weeks before Britain
hosts a global AI safety summit, will underpin its approach to
AI when it assumes new powers in the coming months to oversee
digital markets.

    CHINA
    * Implemented temporary regulations
    China issued a set of temporary measures effective from Aug.
15, requiring service providers to submit security assessments
and receive clearance before releasing mass-market AI products.
    Following government approvals, four Chinese tech firms,
including Baidu  9888.HK  and SenseTime Group  0200.HK ,
launched their AI chatbots to the public on Aug. 31.

    EUROPEAN UNION
    * Planning regulations
    EU lawmaker Brando Benifei, who is leading negotiations on
the bloc's AI Act, on Sep. 21 urged member countries to
compromise in key areas in order to reach an agreement by the
end of the year. EU lawmakers agreed in June to changes in a
draft of the law and are now thrashing out details with EU
countries before the draft rules can become legislation.
    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sept.
13 called for a global panel to assess the risks and benefits of
AI, similarly to the global IPCC panel which informs policy
makers about the climate.

    FRANCE
        * Investigating possible breaches
    France's privacy watchdog CNIL said in April it was
investigating complaints about ChatGPT after the chatbot was
temporarily banned in Italy.

    G7
        * Seeking input on regulations
    G7 leaders meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, acknowledged in May
the need for governance of AI and immersive technologies and
agreed to have ministers discuss the technology as the
"Hiroshima AI process" and report results by the end of 2023.

    ITALY
        * Investigating possible breaches
    Italy's data protection authority plans to review AI
platforms and hire experts in the field, a top official said in
May. ChatGPT became available to users in Italy in April after
being temporarily banned over concerns by the national data
protection authority in March.

    JAPAN
        * Investigating possible breaches
    Japan expects to introduce by the end of 2023 regulations
that are likely closer to the U.S. attitude than the stringent
ones planned in the EU, an official close to deliberations said
in July.
    The country's privacy watchdog said in June it had warned
OpenAI not to collect sensitive data without people's
permission.

    POLAND
        * Investigating possible breaches
    Poland's Personal Data Protection Office (UODO) said on
Sept. 21 it was investigating OpenAI over a complaint that
ChatGPT breaks EU data protection laws. The unnamed complainant
said OpenAI did not correct false information about them which
had been generated by ChatGPT.

    SPAIN
    * Investigating possible breaches
    Spain's data protection agency in April launched a
preliminary investigation into potential data breaches by
ChatGPT.

    UNITED NATIONS
    * Planning regulations
    The U.N. Security Council held its first formal discussion
on AI in New York in July, addressing both military and
non-military applications of AI, which "could have very serious
consequences for global peace and security", U.N.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
    Guterres in June backed a proposal by some AI executives for
the creation of an AI watchdog like the International Atomic
Energy Agency. He has also announced plans to start work by the
end of the year on a high-level AI advisory body to review AI
governance arrangements.

    U.S.
    * Seeking input on regulations
    The U.S. Congress held hearings on AI between Sept. 11 and
13 and an AI forum featuring Meta Platforms  META.O  CEO Mark
Zuckerberg and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
        More than 60 senators took part in the talks, during
which Musk called for a U.S. "referee" for AI. Lawmakers said
there was universal agreement about the need for government
regulation of the technology.
    On Sept. 12, the White House said Adobe  ADBE.O , IBM
 IBM.N , Nvidia  NVDA.O  and five other firms had signed
President Joe Biden's voluntary commitments governing AI, which
require steps such as watermarking AI-generated content.
    Washington D.C. district Judge Beryl Howell ruled on Aug. 21
that a work of art created by AI without any human input cannot
be copyrighted under U.S. law.
    The U.S. Federal Trade Commission opened in July an
investigation into OpenAI on claims that it has run afoul of
consumer protection laws.

 (Compiled by Alessandro Parodi and Amir Orusov in Gdansk; 
Editing by Kirsten Donovan, Mark Potter, Christina Fincher and
Milla Nissi)
 ((alessandro.parodi@thomsonreuters.com))