Factbox: Governments race to regulate AI tools

Melco International Development

26/10/2023 08:58

(Updates Britain, EU and the US)
       Oct 26 (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,
its internet regulator said in September.

    BRITAIN
    * Planning regulations
    Governments and companies need to address the risks of AI
head on, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was set to say on Oct. 26
ahead of the first global AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park on
Nov. 1-2.
    Britain's data watchdog said on Oct. 10 it had issued Snap
Inc's  SNAP.N  Snapchat with a preliminary enforcement notice
over a possible failure to properly assess the privacy risks of
its generative AI chatbot to users, particularly children.

    CHINA
    * Implemented temporary regulations
    China published proposed security requirements for firms
offering services powered by generative AI on Oct. 12, including
a blacklist of sources that cannot be used to train AI models.
    The country issued a set of temporary measures in August,
requiring service providers to submit security assessments and
receive clearance before releasing mass-market AI products.

    EUROPEAN UNION
    * Planning regulations
    European lawmakers agreed on Oct. 24 on a critical part of
new AI rules outlining the types of systems that will be
designated "high risk", and inched closer to a broader agreement
on the landmark AI Act, according to five people familiar with
the matter. An agreement is expected in December, two
co-rapporteurs said.
    EU lawmaker Brando Benifei, who is leading negotiations on
the AI Act, on Sep. 21 urged member countries to compromise in
key areas to reach an agreement by the end of the year.
    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sept.
13 called for a global panel to assess the risks and benefits of
AI.

    FRANCE
        * Investigating possible breaches
    France's privacy watchdog said in April it was investigating
complaints about ChatGPT.

    G7
        * Seeking input on regulations
    G7 leaders in May called for the development and adoption of
technical standards to keep AI "trustworthy".

    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 was temporarily banned in the country in March, but
it was made available again in April.

    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 has warned OpenAI not to
collect sensitive data without people's permission.

    POLAND
        * Investigating possible breaches
    Poland's Personal Data Protection Office said on Sept. 21 it
was investigating OpenAI over a complaint that ChatGPT breaks EU
data protection laws.

    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 July, addressing military and non-military applications
of AI that "could have very serious consequences for global
peace and security", Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
    Guterres has backed a proposal by some AI executives for the
creation of an AI watchdog, and announced plans to start work on
a high-level AI advisory body by the end of the year.

    U.S.
    * Seeking input on regulations
    The White House is expected to unveil on Oct. 30 a
long-awaited AI executive order, which would require "advanced
AI models to undergo assessments before they can be used by
federal workers", the Washington Post reported.
    The U.S. Congress in September held hearings on AI and an AI
forum featuring Meta  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.
    A Washington D.C. district judge ruled in August 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))