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EU to Crack Down on AI Deepfakes 07/31 06:26
BRUSSELS (AP) -- The European Union rolled out a new team on Friday to rein
in AI companies across the world, in one of the most aggressive regulations the
high-tech sector has so far faced as fears rise over the risks the rapidly
advancing technology poses to people, politics and prosperity.
Brussels aims to track the use of AI models for violations of its new
regulations, like the publishing of sexually explicit material, fake photos and
videos, and cyber threats to public infrastructure. When the bloc's AI Act
comes into force on Sunday, AI companies will be required to make clear to
consumers with labels or digital watermarks that chatbots or imagery are
generated with AI.
"As enforcement begins, we are taking an important step towards AI that
people and businesses can understand and trust, and whose benefits are shared
widely across our society," said Henna Virkkunen, the EU chief for tech
sovereignty, on Friday.
The European Commission said in a statement that new regulations also
include "systemic risks" posed by AI like "chemical, biological, radiological
and nuclear incidents, loss of control, cyber offense, harmful manipulation and
threats to fundamental rights."
The team is the latest move in the 27-nation EU's "tech sovereignty"
strategy that welds landmark digital regulations with economic ambition that
has seen over the past week billions of euros in fines on Big Tech companies as
well as record investment in AI infrastructure inside the bloc.
The rollout comes on the heels of shocking AI safety failures that rattled
the nascent industry. Political leaders worldwide are now weighing control of
the technology with market leadership.
Anthropic said on Friday its artificial intelligence models hacked into
three other organizations during testing, just days after ChatGPT maker OpenAI
raised concerns over AI controls after it disclosed its rogue models hacked
another company.
The EU is now expanding its AI Office in Brussels with an additional 38
people who will begin monitoring AI companies, from the new firms to the
American and Chinese tech titans like OpenAI and DeepSeek.
Those companies must "document certain information," said the European
Commission, the bloc's tech enforcer, which reserves the right to interview AI
company staff during investigations. It has also launched a Whistleblower Tool
for tech workers and a Compliance Tool for tech users to confidentially alert
authorities to illegal conduct.
If models or other products break the EU's sector regulations, called the AI
Act, Brussels can fine the firms or cut off their access to the EU market.
Recent gigantic antitrust fines on U.S. tech companies have irked U.S.
President Donald Trump.
The EU now clearly sees systemic vulnerability in its deep reliance on
American software companies like Amazon, Google and Microsoft as well as
imports of Chinese industrial goods and critical minerals. While it is seeking
protections from AI, it is also keen to catch up in the AI arms race, where it
is a distant third behind the U.S. and China.
More broadly, the EU is seeking more independence from both Washington and
Beijing by reinvigorating specific domestic industries like manufacturing and
defense and forging new trade deals from Brazil to Australia to meet the global
rise in economic nationalism spearheaded by Trump.
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