The European Commission proposed this Monday to digital platforms the creation of a label for artificial intelligence (AI) in social networks, so that users understand when they are facing a “risky technology” and without human control.
“It is a faster instrument, which we propose and which we would like to see” because “we want the platforms to label the production of AI in such a way that the normal user, who is distracted by many things, clearly sees that it is a risky technology. ”, said the vice-president of the Commission in charge of values and transparency, Vera Jourová.
For Vera Jourová, this type of labeling “must be done immediately”, so that “the normal user can clearly see that it is not text or visual content created by real people, but by robots”.
“That is why, for us, it is important that there is such an immediate labeling speed and clear response,” insisted the official, adding that the European Commission is “expanding capacities to be fast and efficient and to act in a very decisive way and relevant to the level of risk,” said Vera Jourová.
The official spoke to reporters at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels before meeting representatives of nearly 40 organizations that have signed the EU’s code of conduct against disinformation, along with the commissioner responsible for the internal market, Thierry Breton.
The idea of Brussels is that this labeling instrument is applied, on a voluntary basis, by the platforms that have subscribed to the EU code of conduct against disinformation, so that it is implemented more quickly and then comes into force with the law of digital services.
“It should be a combination of existing legislation, such as the AI law, which is now in a very mature stage of the legislative process and which, once implemented, will naturally also provide the possibility to stop some technologies or change technologies. […] risky,” said Vera Jourová.
Already speaking of Twitter’s decision to abandon this code of conduct, announced a week ago, the person in charge said “in error” and accused the platform of having chosen “the most difficult path, that of confrontation.”
“I know the code is voluntary, but make no mistake, by leaving the code Twitter has drawn a lot of attention and its actions and compliance with EU law will be urgently and vigorously scrutinized,” he warned.
At the end of 2018, digital platforms such as Google, Facebook, Twitter (now withdrawn), Microsoft and Mozilla pledged to combat misinformation on their pages by signing a voluntary code of conduct.
In May 2022, the European Commission announced a reinforcement of this code of conduct, with the intention of implementing actions such as allowing users of digital platforms to flag false information through warning labels on problematic content.
More recently, in May of this year, Twitter decided to abandon the European Union’s code of conduct against disinformation, a decision that the community executive criticized, warning that the company’s obligations remain.
The European Commission will evaluate this Monday, in a meeting with representatives of 40 organizations, the effectiveness of this code of conduct, one year after the entry into force of a reinforced version, as well as the threat that artificial intelligence can pose to democracy .
On the horizon are the 2024 European elections and how the spread of disinformation and manipulation can condition the elections of the voters of the 27, as well as Russian disinformation and manipulation in the face of the war in Ukraine.
Source: TSF
