OpenAI lobbied for its interests in the EU before the AI Act was passed

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has lobbied for a relaxation of certain provisions of the European AI Act to reduce the regulatory burden on the company.

Here's What We Know

In September 2022, OpenAI sent a document to European officials called the "OpenAI White Paper on the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act". It contained a number of proposals that were later incorporated into the final text of the law.

Previously, parliamentarians had proposed that general-purpose AI systems should be treated as "high risk" technologies. Instead, the agreed law introduced the notion of suppliers of so-called "foundation models", which are subject to far fewer requirements.

The company also opposed an amendment that classified generative systems as "high risk" technologies. The company argued that relying on another part of the law, which requires suppliers to label AI content, would have been sufficient instead.

Elsewhere in the "White Paper", OpenAI argued for amendments to allow developers to quickly update their systems for security reasons without having to undergo a lengthy evaluation by EU officials.

The company has confirmed the existence of the document. According to an OpenAI spokesperson, the review was provided at the request of EU politicians.

Go Deeper:

• The EU has approved a law to regulate artificial intelligence
• In the US, a bill has been introduced to hold AI companies liable for malicious content
• Emmanuel Macron wants to make France a "champion" in artificial intelligence

Source: Time