European lawmakers pass world's first major act to regulate AI

The European Union's parliament on Wednesday approved the world's first major set of regulatory ground rules to govern the mediatized artificial intelligence at the forefront of tech investment.

The EU brokered provisional political consensus in early December, and it was then endorsed in the Parliament's Wednesday session, with 523 votes in favor, 46 against and 49 votes not cast. "Europe is NOW a global standard-setter in AI," Thierry Breton, the European commissioner for internal market, wrote on X.

The president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, described the act as trailblazing, saying it would enable innovation, while safeguarding fundamental rights. "Artificial intelligence is already very much part of our daily lives. Now, it will be part of our legislation too," she wrote in a social media post.

Dragos Tudorache, a lawmaker who oversaw EU negotiations on the agreement, hailed the deal, but noted the biggest hurdle remains implementation.