last chance negotiations in the European Parliament

We expected a first consensus on Wednesday. But the negotiations drag on.

Europe changes presidency in January and in a few months, in June, there will be European elections, that is to say a new Parliament. So if a final agreement is not found quickly, this project to regulate artificial intelligence could be postponed indefinitely.

However, everything has been carefully prepared since 2017. We are not trying to restrict the technologies themselves. But to limit the risks for citizens. For example, when we use artificial intelligence to hire someone, drive a car or create information… It is a project that is set to become a landmark, to serve as a world reference. But for this, an agreement will have to be found during the day of Friday December 8, which is far from guaranteed.

Two sticking points

The parliamentarians are essentially blocked on two points. First, that of applications like ChatGPT. Do we favor non-binding rules like the Americans and the Japanese do or are we more coercive, at the risk of putting a burden on European technologies? There is also the question of exceptions that would be granted to the police or the army. During the Olympics, for example, will France have the right to use intelligent cameras, those capable of detecting behavior or spotting suspects? Some would like to ban them completely while others ask for exceptions in the name of national security. France is at the heart of the debates because its police already deploy this type of cameras across the country. And we have a national startup, Mistral AI, which aims to compete with ChatGPT. So obviously, France is asserting its interests.

Finally, there is one last reason why there is an urgent need to find consensus. This is because with all the procedures, the agreement cannot be implemented for at least 18 months. However, 18 months is an eternity for artificial intelligence. We remind you: ChatGPT was presented, for the first time, only a year ago.