How Asia responded to EU's call for AI regulation
Countries worldwide are involved in discussions to formulate rules for governing artificial intelligence (AI). The European Union (EU) is at the forefront of most of these dialogues. The bloc aims to make its AI Act a global benchmark for regulating the booming technology. EU has been lobbying Asian countries to join its camp. Let's see how Asian countries responded to Europe's plea.
Why does this story matter?
EU is leading the global efforts to regulate AI tools. The draft AI Act, which was passed by the European Parliament in June, has entered the negotiation phase. With AI tools proliferating at a rapid pace, Europe sees it imperative to regulate the technology before it's too late. Other countries agree with this, but many of them don't agree with the EU's approach.
EU's calls for stringent rules didn't receive the expected response
EU and its members sent officials to 10 Asian counties, including India, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. Their mission was to convince these countries to follow the EU's lead. Things, however, did not go as planned for EU officials. According to Reuters, the EU's call for stringent rules to regulate AI was met with a lukewarm response.
Asian countries are not in a hurry to regulate AI
Most Asian countries are not ready to jump on the EU's AI ship. They think it's too early to make a decision. They favor a "wait and see" approach, Reuters reported. On the other hand, some of them would like a more flexible approach to AI regulation. They believe such an approach would be conducive to growth and innovation.
Singapore wants to see how the technology evolves
Singapore, one of Asia's tech hubs, wants to see how AI technology evolves before regulating it. Asian countries are also worried about stifling AI innovation by regulating the technology in haste. Meanwhile, Japan prefers a softer approach, which rules out following the EU's AI Act. The chair of Japan's AI strategy council called the EU's proposed rules a "little too strict."
India's AI regulation will be based on user harm
India has repeatedly talked about regulating AI. The country was once not a supporter of controlling the technology but its approach has evolved since then. Last month, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said India's approach to AI regulation will be based on user harm. It is unclear whether India's AI regulation will be like the EU's.
