Keep calm and regulate on: Inside the EU’s response to AI extinction warnings
Brussels sees the panic set off in Silicon Valley as vindication that its AI regulation is the right path.
Brussels has remained remarkably composed in the wake of a viral social media warning that top American AI developers are recklessly gambling with human lives. European policymakers dismissed the dire AI extinction scenario, emphasizing that the European Union already has a comprehensive regulatory framework in place - the Artificial Intelligence Act.
The AI Act already obliges companies like OpenAI and Anthropic to address "systemic risks" such as losing control over artificial intelligence models or their alignment with human values. European officials argued that the EU has been ahead of the curve, despite past ridicule from tech enthusiasts for lagging behind in regulating an emerging technology.
Michael McNamara, an Irish member of the European Parliament, stated that the EU has already legislated for exactly this scenario. A leading Italian AI CEO, Uljan Sharka, dismissed the warning as "ridiculous" and called it an opportunity for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to showcase the effectiveness of the AI Act during her upcoming State of the European Union speech.
The EU's approach appears to be to keep calm and rely on the existing legal framework, rather than succumbing to panic and speculation.
Written by urgent.news from Politico EU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
