The EU’s AI bans come with big loopholes for police

illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on POLITICO or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: The EU’s AI Act, which took effect on February 2, bans several "unacceptable" AI applications, including predictive policing and facial recognition from internet-scraped databases
• However, critics argue the law is riddled with security exemptions, allowing law enforcement and migration authorities to continue using controversial AI tools

🔭 The context: The law sets a global precedent by regulating AI to protect citizens and democracy, but its effectiveness is questioned due to broad exemptions
• While the bans aim to prevent societal control, countries can still permit real-time facial recognition in public spaces for serious crimes
• The law’s enforcement is expected to be complex, with governments having until August to appoint regulators

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The AI Act attempts to balance innovation with human rights protections, influencing global AI regulations
• Exemptions for policing and migration raise ethical concerns about surveillance and bias, impacting digital rights and freedoms
• A strict application of the rules could set a global standard for AI governance

⏭️ What's next: European authorities must decide how to enforce the bans while handling pressure from security agencies
• Activists and academics will closely monitor how exemptions are applied in practice
• The AI Act’s rollout over the next 18 months will determine its real impact on AI regulation

💬 One quote: “You can even question whether you can really speak of a prohibition if there [are] so many exceptions,” - Nathalie Smuha, AI ethics researcher at KU Leuven University

📈 One stat: In 2019, 26,000 people in the Netherlands were wrongly accused of fraud due to an AI-driven algorithm, influencing the ban on predictive policing

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