«AI Act, stable rules are a signal to invest. This way the EU is more competitive” – ​​WWN

«There are no freedoms without responsibility» and «a framework of stable rules is a signal first and foremost for those who want to invest in Europe, to which the AI ​​Act gives a competitive advantage», claims Carlo Corazza, head of the European Parliament Office in Italy, speaking at the meeting he organized together with Corriere della Sera (and broadcast yesterday on the online site), to discuss the new regulation (the AI ​​Act) launched by the European Union to govern artificial intelligence (AI). It is the first law in the world to do so.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella compared the impact of artificial intelligence to the discovery of fire for humanity. “There is not a single sector that will not benefit from AI, starting from medical research and up to health, but there are also many risks,” warns Brando Benifei, co-rapporteur of the AI ​​Act in the European Parliament , in a conversation with the deputy director of the Corriere, Daniele Manca. Therefore, with the new rules, Europe has set a series of limits. Fragmentation into smaller markets weakens legislators in the face of economic power. But the European market is a big market: this is our strength. And it allows Europe to have rules”, says the MEP of the Democratic Party. «Everyone is looking at us. The idea of ​​introducing rules to regulate the riskiest uses is already widespread, but only as a voluntary choice. However, Europe needs rules, therefore fines, the ability to eliminate dangerous products from the market and allow citizens to turn to the authorities.”

For example, the new regulation requires certification on data quality, cyber-security and ex ante human control, to guarantee the protection of sensitive data in places such as schools, courts, healthcare facilities, prohibiting certain behaviors, which include social, gender, ethnic discrimination, and so on. “We have put in very strong safeguards and put in place bans,” says Benifei.

«Social scoring like in China or facial recognition are not possible, except in serious crimes and under the control of the judge. We have banned predictive policing”, aimed at anticipating crimes thanks to the combination of different types of data, including previously committed crimes, “because it violates the principle of innocence”. Furthermore, “the recognition of emotions in the workplace, at school and at university is prohibited”, but it is “permitted for therapeutic purposes”. Just as “the recognition of vital functions is allowed”, which is done today, for example, with airline pilots and drivers. The AI ​​Act, among other things, introduces the “digital watermark” (watermark), to make the contents produced by the most powerful algorithms recognizable, such as Chat Gpt, Gemini, generative AI.

«The devil is always in the details. We have not read the text and are waiting to evaluate the new regulation”, says Diletta Huyskes, Head of Advocacy of Privacy Network, during the subsequent round table, moderated by Maurizio Molinari, head of the EU Parliament Office in Milan. Stressing that it is «crucial to keep the bar high on the rights of people and communities already discriminated against and marginalized in our society, which with AI risk not only being perpetrated. but amplified.”

Enzo Mazza, director of the Italian Music Industry Federation (Fimi), is more optimistic, according to whom «generative AI is a gigantic opportunitybecause it will only increase the possibilities of artists and authors in the face of the “hunger” for content on the part of music users”, he claims, recalling that “artistic production through AI platforms allows us to do fantastic things, which record companies they have already exploited it to produce content.”

Even “the insurance industry is investing heavily in AI”, says Diego Pasini, head of Non-Life and Commercial Operations at Unipol. «AI will be the competitive arena of the future for our industry and will be a pillar of our next industrial plan», he anticipates. «Imagine that the opening of the claim could be done by AI, as well as the recovery of the documentation, the analysis of the photos, distinguishing fakes that could escape the human eye. Even the evaluation of a reimbursement range based on historical cases.” But, she reassures, “man will remain at the centre”, it will be a matter of “moving man’s activity towards a decision-making theme”.

Andrea Pezzi, president of Mint, is more sceptical. While recognizing the symbolic value of the AI ​​Act, he considers it “unrealistic” because “to write the law the legislator must know how to write the code. This is the great challenge of the EU Parliament,” he says.

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