Laws, pledges or an iron grip? How the EU, US and China are reining in AI
The US, China and the EU are taking sharply different approaches to regulating artificial intelligence. Here is how the world's biggest economies are tackling the technology, and what is at stake.
The European Union, United States, and China are adopting different strategies to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The EU is the first to implement comprehensive AI rules, while the US relies on voluntary pledges and executive orders, and China regulates AI under tight state control.
The EU's AI Act categorizes AI systems based on risk levels, banning systems with wide-reaching powers such as social scoring, emotion recognition, and manipulation. However, European companies have lobbied for delays, fearing stifled innovation. The EU is also working on safety measures for AI chatbots and companions, especially for children.
In contrast, the US is focusing on voluntary industry pledges and executive orders, aiming to sustain an AI boom. Recent measures include a new AI Action Plan with over 90 measures, and an executive order requiring federal agencies to buy only ideologically neutral AI models. State laws in the US are also starting to take effect.
China is taking a more stringent approach, with regulations on AI companion chatbots already in place and President Xi Jinping emphasizing that AI should always be under human control. However, a full pause or deliberate slowdown in AI development is not part of mainstream Chinese policy.
Written by urgent.news from Euronews's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
