Civil society reacts to European Parliament AI Act draft Report
This joint statement evaluates how far the IMCO-LIBE draft Report on the EU’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act, released 20th April 2022, addresses civil society's recommendations. We call on Members of the European Parliament to support amendments that centre people affected by AI systems, prevent harm in the use of AI systems, and offer comprehensive protection for fundamental rights in the AI Act.
In November 2021, a coalition of civil society organisations released the statement An EU Artificial Intelligence Act for Fundamental Rights. The statement was signed by 123 civil society organisations, and outlined nine recommendations for how the EU AI Act could foreground people and their fundamental rights.
This document evaluates how far the IMCO-LIBE draft Report on the EU’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act, released 20th April 2022, addresses those recommendations. We call on Members of the European Parliament to support those amendments that centre people affected by AI systems, prevent harm in the use of AI systems, and offer comprehensive protection for fundamental rights in the AI Act.
Figure 1: Civil society’s demands vs what was actually inclued in the European parliament’s AI Act draft Report
It is vital that the legislators foreground the concerns of people and issues of fundamental rights in onward negotiations on the AI Act. Moving forward, we urge MEPs to be bold in amending the AI Act to safeguard the rights of people and ensure that AI development and deployment fully respect fundamental rights and democracy.