EU lawmakers call for tougher AI oversight

April 17 (UPI) -- European Union lawmakers on Monday proposed stricter rules and regulations governing general artificial intelligence tools.

A group of 12 members of the European Parliament sent an open letter Monday, urging lawmakers to enact a wider range of regulations, above and beyond legislation already being considered, which mainly applies to systems deemed "high-risk."

The European Commission's proposed Artificial Intelligence Act would regulate those so-called "high-risk" platforms only.

Worries revolve around general AI tools like the popular ChatGPT, which are not deemed high-risk but may be used in certain situations that do in fact elevate that risk to the point they pose a danger.

"We call on companies and researchers developing very powerful AI to do so with an ever-increasing sense of responsibility, in cooperation with policy-makers, and while ensuring they maintain effective control over the AI they are building," Romanian Dragoș Tudorache, one of the dozen EU Members of Parliament behind the letter said on Twitter.

The group of 12 said it agrees with the stance of the Future of Life Institute, which supports AI safety research and risk governance.

The institute called for a six-month pause on some forms of advanced AI, joined at the time by Tesla and Twitter CEO Elon Musk and hundreds of other executives.

"AI is moving very fast and we need to move too. The call from the Future of Life Institute to pause the development of very powerful AI for half a year, although unnecessarily alarmist, is another signal we need to focus serious political attention on this issue," Tudorache wrote Monday.

American lawmakers announced last week they were working on new legislation to govern AI tools in the United States.

"Given the AI industry's consequential and fast-moving impact on society, national security, and the global economy, I've worked with some of the leading AI practitioners and thought leaders to create a framework that outlines a new regulatory regime," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said last Thursday, adding the proposed legislation "would prevent potentially catastrophic damage to our country."