EU policymakers reach agreement on the AI Act

11 December 2023 - Press release

GESAC welcomes the recognition of the need for transparency and compliance with EU rules by providers of general-purpose AI models

 

Following the EU decisionmakers' announcement of having reached a political agreement on the EU AI Act at the end of a three-day trialogue meeting, GESAC welcomes the recognition on the need for providers of general-purpose AI models operating in the EU market to comply with EU copyright laws and minimum transparency obligations, which are indispensable for rightholders to exercise and enforce their rights.

The actual wording of the text resulting from the political agreement is to be finetuned at forthcoming technical meetings, and the new AI Office will be tasked with conducting further work to formulate practical arrangements for its implementation. We are encouraged by the broad understanding of these basic principles by all EU institutions and Member States at the final stage of the negotiations but call for caution and urge for robust implementation to translate this political commitment into a concrete obligation of result.

Véronique Desbrosses said: " Transparency requirements and respect for EU copyright rules applicable to all models, preventing circumvention of EU's protective measures are prerequisites for any AI regulation before it can be called responsible. A robust implementation allowing rightholders to properly exercise their rights under EU law is crucial to ensure that the principles agreed upon have a real impact in practice. Authors' societies look forward to embracing this new market and generating value for creators and businesses alike, while contributing both to innovation and creation in Europe."