In recent years, the EU, the Council of Europe, the UN have been actively developing regulations to govern AI. These frameworks play a pivotal role in shaping the future of AI development and use. ECNL is committed to ensuring that these regional and global regulations prioritise people and society.
To achieve this, ECNL has contributed to policy discussions by bringing expertise and perspectives from organisations focused on civic space, human rights and marginalised groups. These insights are essential in holding technology accountable and ensuring it serves the public good.
The EU adopted the AI Act in 2024 after a 3-year period of legislative development. It is the most comprehensive attempt to regulate AI technologies globally. ECNL engaged in vigorous advocacy towards EU institutions with diverse coalitions throughout the negotiation process and succeeded in securing some significant improvements. As a result, the AI Act includes prohibitions of the most harmful AI systems, such as real-time facial recognition by law enforcement authorities or automated predictive policing using algorithms to identify individuals at risk of criminal activity. It also requires public authorities to assess and publish how high-risk AI systems affect fundamental rights before use. However, the final version of the Act also has far-reaching exceptions, which lower protection standards, especially in law enforcement, migration and national security.
The implementation and enforcement phase will decide whether the Act can indeed be an effective tool to challenge the harmful impacts of AI on rights and freedoms. Civil society must be an active partner in this process to secure accountability over AI. We, therefore, work with partners to engage effectively by developing resources to help them shape the outcomes of the implementation process, creating explainer videos and providing guidance on how to advocate for stronger protections for fundamental freedoms in their countries.
Thanks to these actions:
- ECNL contributed to the prohibitions of harmful AI systems.
- Protections for fundamental freedoms in AI regulation were strengthened.
Photo: Elise Racine / https://betterimagesofai.org / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/