An agreement on joint regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) has been reached by France, Germany and Italy, as shown in a joint document obtained by Reuters. This accord is expected to speed up negotiations at the European level. The three governments are in support of voluntary commitments for both smaller and larger AI companies in the European Union. Currently, the European Commission, the European Parliaments and the Council of the European Union are discussing how this alliance should be set up.

In June, the European Parliament introduced the “AI Act” which aims to prevent the risks of AI applications and avoid discriminatory effects, while also supporting the innovative power of AI. During the debate, the parliament proposed a code of conduct that would initially be binding only for large AI providers, mostly from the US. However, this proposal was met with opposition from smaller European companies who believed that they would not be able to compete with larger American providers under these strict regulations.

The German Ministry of Economy believes that laws and state control should focus on AI applications rather than on AI itself. They argue that this approach would encourage innovation while still ensuring safety and security measures are in place. Governments worldwide are attempting to harness the economic benefits of AI while also considering its security implications. Britain recently held its first meeting on this subject in November and Germany will host a digital conference in Jena later this year bringing together representatives from politics, business and science to discuss these important issues further.