AI legal framework must promote innovation: Google executive

Google's Chief Legal Officer, Kent Walker, urged that regulations governing artificial intelligence (AI) should be designed to foster innovation. His comments align with similar appeals from various businesses and tech groups as the European Union (EU) rushes to finalise AI rules by December 6.

EU countries and lawmakers are currently finalising details of a draft proposal by the European Commission. A key issue under consideration is the regulation of foundation models like OpenAI's ChatGPT, which are AI systems trained on extensive datasets with the capacity to learn from new data for various tasks.

Walker said that Europe should strive for the best AI regulations rather than rushing to implement the first set of rules. He highlighted the importance of finding a balance between innovation and regulation for technological leadership. According to Walker, responsible regulation should not micromanage progress but should hold actors accountable when they violate public trust.

In a speech delivered at the European Business Summit, Walker called for careful trade-offs between security and openness, data access and privacy, and explainability and accuracy. He advocated for proportionate, risk-based rules that build upon existing regulations, providing businesses with the confidence needed to continue investing in AI innovation.

Notably, Walker's stance aligns with concerns expressed by business group DigitalEurope and 32 European digital associations, cautioning against excessive regulation of foundation models.

(With Reuters Inputs)