Germany to approve EU's planned AI act

[January 30, 2024]  BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will approve the European Union's pioneering AI Act after the minister responsible for digital issues said a compromise had been reached.

The European Union in December reached a provisional deal for artificial intelligence rules to establish a regulatory framework for the development of AI, but it has to be agreed by members and the European Parliament.

AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration taken June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

"Without the use of artificial intelligence, there will be no competitiveness in the future," said German Digital Minister Volker Wissing, of the pro-business Free Democrats who are strong advocates of protecting civil liberties.

"The wrangling over the German position on the AI Act came to an end today with an acceptable compromise," he added.

Wissing said he had campaigned for more innovation-friendly rules and achieved improvements for small and medium-sized businesses to avoid disproportionate requirements but gave no further details.

"The negotiated compromise lays the foundations for the development of trustworthy AI," he said.

Earlier, four sources had told Reuters that the FDP, junior partners in Social Democrat Olaf Scholz's awkward three-way coalition with the Greens, had dropped their objections.

(Reporting by Hakan Ersen and Andreas Rinke; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Kirsti Knolle, Matthias Williams and Barbara Lewis)

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