After 36 hours of negotiations, European Union (EU) officials have reached a provisional agreement on groundbreaking regulations for the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

The deal encompasses rules regarding AI systems like ChatGPT and facial recognition.

The AI Act proposals will undergo a vote in the European Parliament early next year, with potential legislation taking effect no earlier than 2025.

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The US, UK, and China are also actively working on formulating their AI guidelines.

The proposed regulations include safeguards within the EU for AI use and constraints on its application by law enforcement.

Consumers would be granted the right to file complaints, and penalties could be imposed for violations.

EU Commissioner Thierry Breton hailed the plans as “historic,” providing “clear rules for the use of AI.”

He emphasized that it goes beyond a rulebook, acting as a “launch pad for EU start-ups and researchers to lead the global AI race.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the AI Act as a significant step toward developing technology that ensures people’s safety and rights. She noted that it establishes a “unique legal framework for the development of AI you can trust.”

The European Parliament defines AI as software capable of generating outputs, such as content, predictions, recommendations, or decisions, based on human-defined objectives.

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Generative AI, exemplified by programs like ChatGPT and DALL-E, learns from extensive datasets to create new content resembling human-made output.

ChatGPT, a “chatbot,” engages in text conversations, while DALL-E, another AI program, generates images from simple text instructions.