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On 12 July 2024, the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act), Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence and amending Regulations (EC) No 300/2008, (EU) No 167/2013, (EU) No 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, (EU) 2018/1139 and (EU) 2019/2144 and Directives 2014/90/EU, (EU) 2016/797 and (EU) 2020/1828, was published in the Official Journal of the European Commission.

This is the first legal act in the world that comprehensively regulates issues related to the broadly understood use of artificial intelligence. The AI Act defines the legal framework for the development, implementation and use of artificial intelligence in the European Union. The regulations contained therein concern various important areas of practical applications of artificial intelligence, such as transport, healthcare, education and the labor market, as well as the use of AI by the public sector (e.g. police, courts).

The EU regulation on artificial intelligence aims to ensure the safe, responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence technologies, taking into account the rights of citizens, while supporting the development and implementation of technological innovations based on artificial intelligence. According to the new regulations, AI systems on the European market will have to meet specific norms and standards, which will ensure a high level of protection in the scope of citizens’ and consumers’ rights, as well as increasing public trust in new technologies.

The AI Act plays a significant role in the implementation of highly automated and autonomous vehicles due to the increasing use in this sector of advanced technologies using artificial intelligence, e.g. related to image recognition and analysis or natural language processing. Vehicles are currently equipped with various types of systems that increase the comfort and safety of travel, which operate using voice commands and facilitate many activities. Analysis of data obtained by vehicles in combination with the voice messages received by them, allows, thanks to artificial intelligence, to adjust the car settings to the individual needs of the driver, and sensors controlled by AI warn the driver of dangerous situations (e.g. they detect driver fatigue, encourage rest, remind to fasten seat belts).

Artificial intelligence is of great importance in the automotive industry because automated and autonomous mobility requires collecting, processing and analyzing large amounts of data from both vehicles and their surroundings, and this is associated with the risk of data loss or unauthorized interference with their content. Data and information processed for the needs of innovative types of mobility concern, for example, the identification of the vehicle’s surroundings in motion, road conditions, location, fuel consumption, technical condition of the vehicle or driver’s well-being. The popularization of automated and autonomous mobility based on artificial intelligence aims to improve driving safety, reduce the number of road accidents and optimize driving style resulting in reduced greenhouse gas emissions, therefore ensuring safety in the use of artificial intelligence technologies in this area is very important.

The wide use of artificial intelligence promotes the rapid and effective design of systems and solutions that improve driving safety and comfort, but regulations are necessary to guarantee safety and ensure responsible and ethical use of innovative technologies.

The European Parliament adopted the regulation on artificial intelligence in March 2024, and the EU Council approved it in May 2024. The regulation will be fully applicable 24 months after its entry into force, but some of its parts will apply earlier. The Ministry of Digital Affairs is currently working on a draft act that will allow the implementation of these regulations on a national basis and the application of the AI Act in Poland.

Benefits of the AI Act

Individual users

• uniform legal framework for the use of artificial intelligence systems in the European Union,
• taking into account the rights of consumers to protect data collected for the needs of advanced technologies based on artificial intelligence,
• ensuring a high level of protection against the harmful effects of systems using artificial intelligence,
• increasing public trust in new, innovative technologies.

Vehicle manufacturers

• a uniform legal framework for the development, placing on the market or putting into service of artificial intelligence systems in the European Union,
• safe, responsible and ethical use of technologies using artificial intelligence,
• supporting the development and implementation of technological innovations based on artificial intelligence,
• responsible and ethical collection, processing and analysis of large amounts of data from both vehicles and their environment, used by artificial intelligence for the needs of advanced technologies,
• reducing the risk of loss of data used by artificial intelligence or unauthorized interference with their content,

Source:
Ministry of Digital Affairs, European AI Act published, 12 July 2024, https://www.gov.pl/web/cyfryzacja/europejski-ai-act-opublikowany
Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 on the establishment of harmonised rules on artificial intelligence and amending Regulations (EC) No 300/2008, (EU) No 167/2013, (EU) No 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, (EU) 2018/1139 and (EU) 2019/2144 and Directives 2014/90/EU, (EU) 2016/797 and (EU) 2020/1828 (Artificial Intelligence Act), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/PL/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32024R1689
The European Parliament, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20230601STO93804/eu-ai-act-first-regulation-on-artificial-intelligence#next-steps-7