The proposed Regulation will be the first EU legal framework specifically focused on the rapidly accelerating landscape of AI.

By Deborah J. Kirk, Elisabetta Righini, Laura Holden, Luke Vaz, and Amy Smyth

The feedback period for the European Commission (EC) proposal for the Regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) (COM (2021)206) (proposed Regulation) closed on 6 August 2021, during which time 304 pieces of feedback were received, marking another milestone in pursuit of the first EU legal framework specifically focused on AI.

The proposed Regulation follows the EC’s strategy for AI, as outlined in its coordinated plan on Artificial Intelligence for Europe in 2018 and its AI White Paper in 2020. The proposed Regulation seeks to balance the safety and fundamental rights of EU consumers while improving the AI investment and innovation landscape. Although the proposed Regulation may change significantly before its entry into force, entities that use (or plan to start using) AI should be prepared to comply with a comprehensive regulatory framework in Europe.

This briefing discusses who the proposed Regulation will apply to and what its risk-based approach will mean in practice.