Vigenin: The regulation of artificial intelligence aims to protect citizens and support business

“It is important to provide enough time to adapt to the new rules on artificial intelligence, so that they are effective and applicable in practice. At the same time we must not allow any compromise on the protection of fundamental rights and the security of citizens.” This was stated by Bulgarian MEP Kristian Vigenin from the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament in Brussels.

As the Socialists’ rapporteur on the changes to the European regulation on artificial intelligence, Vigenin took part in the negotiations between the political groups with the aim of striking a balance between encouraging innovation, protecting fundamental rights and legal certainty for business.

At a joint meeting of the committees on civil liberties, justice and home affairs and on the internal market, the MEPs backed the introduction of clear fixed deadlines for applying the requirements for high-risk systems: 2 December 2027 for the systems explicitly listed in the regulation (including in areas such as critical infrastructure, education, healthcare, justice and border management) and 2 August 2028 for systems regulated by the EU’s sectoral product safety legislation. Providers were also given additional time to comply with the requirements for labelling content created by artificial intelligence, which aims to guarantee transparency and protection against manipulation.

A ban on “nudifier” apps

One of the most significant elements of the EP position is the introduction of a new ban on so-called “nudifier” applications, AI systems that create or manipulate images of a sexual or intimate nature of real people without their consent.

Under the agreed texts, it will be forbidden to use AI tools that “generate or manipulate realistic images of a person’s intimate parts without their consent”. The measure aims to counter the growing digital violence, including online harassment, sexual exploitation and humiliation, directed in particular against women and children.

“The development of artificial intelligence cannot come at the expense of human dignity. The European Union has to show clearly that technology should serve people, not be used for their humiliation and exploitation,” Vigenin said.

Less administrative burden for business

The compromise reached also provides for measures to reduce the administrative burden on business and to avoid overlap between the Artificial Intelligence Act and the EU’s sectoral legislation. There is also support for small mid-cap companies, so that they can develop after leaving the category of small and medium-sized enterprises.

The Socialists and Democrats insist that the roll-out of the new technologies be accompanied by protection for workers, transparency and guarantees against discrimination and abuse.

Next steps

After the EP approved the proposed changes in plenary on 26 March, negotiations with the Council of the EU on the final adoption of the legislation lie ahead.

The decision is an important step towards predictable and balanced regulation of artificial intelligence in the European Union, which both protects citizens and allows Europe to remain competitive in the global technology race.