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Artificial Intelligence Act
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<p>The Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) is a <a href="/facts/Regulation_(European_Union)/3V8Mynly">European Union regulation</a> concerning <a href="/facts/Artificial_intelligence/lJGauQwX">artificial intelligence</a> (AI). It establishes a common regulatory and <a href="/facts/Legal_framework/q6dS3t2d">legal framework</a> for AI within the <a href="/facts/European_Union/6GYcR8qM">European Union</a> (EU). It came <a href="/facts/Entry_into_force/toFJzq1z">into force</a> on 1 August 2024, with provisions that shall come into operation gradually over the following 6 to 36 months. </p><p>It covers all types of AI across a broad range of sectors, with exceptions for AI systems used solely for military, national security, research and non-professional purposes. As a piece of product regulation, it does not confer rights on individuals, but regulates the providers of AI systems and entities using AI in a professional context. </p><p>The Act classifies non-exempt AI applications by their risk of causing harm. There are four levels – unacceptable, high, limited, minimal – plus an additional category for general-purpose AI. </p> <ul><li>Applications with unacceptable risks are banned.</li> <li>High-risk applications must comply with security, <a href="/facts/Transparency_(behavior)/vbB9ombC">transparency</a> and quality obligations, and undergo <a href="/facts/Conformity_assessment/gGMpWI3q">conformity assessments</a>.</li> <li>Limited-risk applications only have transparency obligations.</li> <li>Minimal-risk applications are not regulated.</li></ul> <p>For general-purpose AI, transparency requirements are imposed, with reduced requirements for <a href="/facts/Open_source/7X9rCdz4">open source</a> models, and additional evaluations for high-capability models. </p><p>The Act also creates a European Artificial Intelligence Board to promote national cooperation and ensure compliance with the regulation. Like the EU's <a href="/facts/General_Data_Protection_Regulation/RMLY6ohr">General Data Protection Regulation</a>, the Act can apply <a href="/facts/Extraterritoriality/lUf4xlUK">extraterritorially</a> to providers from outside the EU if they have users within the EU. </p><p>Proposed by the <a href="/facts/European_Commission/Cc5JgbEI">European Commission</a> on 21 April 2021, it passed the <a href="/facts/European_Parliament/H9WLUd1r">European Parliament</a> on 13 March 2024, and was unanimously approved by the <a href="/facts/Council_of_the_European_Union/xlE6rYKb">EU Council</a> on 21 May 2024. The draft Act was revised to address the rise in popularity of <a href="/facts/Generative_artificial_intelligence/ykT3GGyT">generative artificial intelligence</a> systems, such as <a href="/facts/ChatGPT/ptB1y6J5">ChatGPT</a>, whose general-purpose capabilities did not fit the main framework. </p>