EU is all set to bring Artificial Intelligence act and it is relevant after considering the Cyber Attacks statistics

Since Artificial Intelligence has been introduced, several debates have begun after it. There is a section of people supporting this advanced technology and considering intelligence of machines or a software as a revolution in the field of innovation. ‘AI drives down the time taken to perform a task. It enables multi-tasking and eases the workload for existing resources. It enables the execution of hitherto complex tasks without significant cost outlays. It operates 24×7 without interruption or breaks and has no downtime. AI augments the capabilities of differently abled individuals and it has mass market potential, it can be deployed across industries’, according to HCLTech. However, there is another group of people who are against the whole concept. Shivansh is a corporate worker and is against the idea of Artificial Intelligence. He said, ‘It seems very dangerous for humankind. It has its benefits but all technology driven. If you scale it on human perspective, there are multiple disadvantages which can affect lot of factors. Firstly, it lacks human interactivity and sensitivity. It is not based on human interactions and it responds according to machine intelligence. So, world should stop glorify its ability to respond to everything. Secondly, there is no transparency where data goes, it could be misuse for financial recommendations such as credit checks.’
As, Artificial Intelligence started a debate as soon as it arrived, European Union is considering the subject critically. According to the information, first ever law regarding AI is one step away to come into existence. European Commission proposed its first framework in 2021 and is waiting for its approval. ‘Parliament’s priority is to make sure that AI systems used in the EU are safe, transparent, traceable, non-discriminatory and environmentally friendly. AI systems should be overseen by people, rather than by automation, to prevent harmful outcomes’, quoted News European Parliament.
Gagan Gupta is an IT expert and is in favour with the development, EU is planning to bring, concerning AI technology. He said, ‘Yes, if it gets approval, it will be the first law to regulate AI on some aspects, which is relevantly required. As an IT professional, I would say technology is a revolution but at the same time if it will not have boundaries, then it might change the world drastically. As we say, everything is good to an extent because pros and cons are part of everything. And we there are multiple disadvantages of AI that we, as humans, are not ready to face it.’
European Parliament has mentioned in detail about the unacceptable risk and high risk that this technology could lead to, if not regulated. It says, ‘Cognitive behavioral manipulation of people or specific vulnerable groups: for example, voice activated toys that encourage dangerous behaviour in children or social scoring: classifying people based on behaviour, socio economic status or personal characteristics and real time and remote biometric identification system such as facial recognition’, as per News European Parliament. As per the information, the framework will get discuss among EU countries and is aimed to reach to a conclusion by the end of this year. Gagan told EAT news, AI is a threat in many terms, and education is one of them. ‘I hear lot of students use ChatGPT for their assignments and projects. It is easy and quick. And it provides you exactly what you want in a comprehensive language. There is this college student who submitted his end term assignment with the help of AI and I was surprised with the result. It was so organized and précised. And since it generates different content right from the scratch, it doesn’t come under the radar of plagiarism’, he said.
He further added, that this will corrupt students and their approach towards academics. Several universities have issued guidelines for generative AI use, taking into account the kind of risk it surrounds education with. The press release released by European Council concisely mentioned main elements of the provisional agreement. ‘Rule on High impact general purpose AI models, revised systems of governance, extension of the list of prohibitions to use remote biometric identification and to conduct a fundamental rights impact assessment prior to putting an AI system into use’, it states. Gagan believes every country should impose certain regulations over the use of AI keeping in mind the accessibility and the frequency of cyber-crimes, currently.
In context to India, the cyber-crime has increased up to 15.3% by 2022, according to Latest Cyber-crime Statistics. Further the report revealed that top countries on National Cyber Security Index (NCSI) in January 2023 is, Greece with 96.10 score, Lithuania with 93.51, Belgium with 93.51, Estonia with 93.51 and Czech Republic with 92.21. The statistics present vulnerability of European countries with reference to cyber attacks and the significance behind introducing AI regarding agreement. The irony is, humans are spending millions on technology and innovation but they are also looking for ways to regulate their own progress.