Disclaimer: This article is opinion-based; please seek legal advice from reputable companies if needed.
Like many others, I have watched and experienced the growth and development of AI. I have always been interested in its legal side and the regulations to ensure that organisations use it correctly and efficiently. After researching the topic, I will break down the key aspects of the EU AI Act that will highlight how to use AI responsibly and innovatively.
Why Should You Care?
With AI rapidly developing, organisations must care about how they use it. From ethical responsibilities to professional standards and organisational strategy, we will be exploring the reasons why the AI Act should be a priority for everyone.
Prioritising Human Responsibility
Let’s start with human responsibility and ensure that the technologies organisations use do not harm individuals or violate basic human rights. No one wants to build systems that compromise public safety, health, or privacy.
Professional Standards to Enhance Innovation
Legal compliance isn’t just about dodging fines; it’s an opportunity for companies to improve how they develop their AI practices. AI users can benefit from better collaboration and fresh innovation by using the law as a way to connect technical and business teams.
Organisational Clarity for a Sustainable Future:
For any organisation, the EU AI Act can act as a guideline for avoiding risks and fines whilst highlighting their dedication to using AI responsibly. It is vital to stay on top of the continuous development of AI laws to ensure a sustainable future.
How the EU AI ACT is Structured
The EU AI Act is structured according to their potential impact on health, safety, and fundamental rights. Let’s take a look further into how this is structured and why.
At the highest level, systems that could show that they pose an unacceptable risk are banned due to the potential threat to safety. Industries such as healthcare, finance, or law enforcement
High-risk AI systems, particularly those functioning in sensitive sectors such as healthcare, finance, or law enforcement, must follow strict rules and checks to ensure they are used safely. This is compared to limited-risk systems, where they have to follow certain procedures to ensure they do not cause significant harm. Transportation logistics, manufacturing and customer service are considered in this limited-risk bracket. Finally, we move onto minimal-risk systems, these are common consumer applications and are deemed low potential for harm. Due to this, they have minimal procedures that they must follow.
This structure has been set up to allow businesses to continue with innovation while still protecting others.
How to Classify AI Risk Levels
Figuring out the risk of an AI system is vital to ensure that it follows the rules that regulators set. There are four factors that must be evaluated by people who are using any AI software, which we will look into.
First, they must assess the system’s potential impact on health outcomes, especially in sensitive areas like medical diagnostics, where patient care could be affected by AI. Another safety concern is how the system itself manages sensitive data. Systems handling personal information, such as chatbots, must prioritise privacy and security. The third factor is whether the AI risks violating human rights such as equality or access to public services. The last factor is how much control the users have over AI decisions and making sure that AI enhances decision-making rather than replaces it.
The Best Steps to Comply with the EU AI Act
You are probably wondering how you can make sure that you are following the regulations of the EU AI Act correctly. First, it is essential to keep track of every AI project that is completed on the system; this can be done through documentation. For systems that are considered high-risk, human monitoring is highly important to ensure that important AI decisions are logged and that there’s always a way for humans to intervene if necessary.
It’s important to prioritise transparency and fairness in AI. Tools like Shapley Values or LIME can help explain how AI models make decisions. Plus, including fairness metrics during the training process can prevent any bias from creeping in.
Conducting regular compliance audits is another vital step, moving towards external evaluations by third parties to ensure impartiality and full compliance. Following this, compliance must be seen as an ongoing process, with continuous monitoring and regular updates to documentation as new features are added or any developments with regulations. This proactive approach ensures long-term success in navigating AI regulations.
The Evolving Landscape
With the popularity of AI technologies like generative models, the EU AI Act comes into play to establish clear regulations and responsibilities that must be followed. It can be argued that this can cause additional challenges.
One challenge is testing the system to identify any vulnerabilities and weaknesses, such as data poisoning or model evasion. Tests like these are essential for ensuring that the system remains robust, even in unexpected conditions.
It is also important for AI users to consider the overall effect AI has on society, also known as systemic risk. Users need to think about how their models might impact people and communities. If a system poses a significant risk to society, it will attract a stricter response from regulators.
With AI continuously evolving, organisations need to make sure that they are continuously engaging with legal updates and incorporating best practices into their everyday lives. We must remember that the EU AI Act is just the beginning of global AI regulation; new opportunities will be available to develop better and more ethical systems to benefit both businesses and society.
Conclusion
To conclude, following the regulations set by the EU AI Act requires ethical awareness, technical precision, and proactive risk management. By adhering to the rules, organisations can benefit from avoiding failing to meet the legal requirements, adopting innovation, and ensuring that AI systems are built, supporting confidence among users and the public.
By following these guidelines, organisations can position themselves at the front line of AI development, preparing for a future where AI plays a crucial role in business, society, and beyond.
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