유럽연합(EU) 인공지능규범의 제정과 특징

Abstract

On February 19, 2020, the European Commission published the White Paper on Artificial Intelligence. In addition, on April 21, 2021, an Regulation on AI was proposed. The AI regulation proposed by the European Commission can be seen as the first norm on artificial intelligence. However, even before such an AI regulation was proposed, the European Commission presented the EU’s future digital strategy and included such a policy in the White Paper on AI. The AI White Paper is the European Union’s future blueprint for AI. In particular, it is noteworthy that the artificial intelligence white paper emphasizes the ‘ecosystem of trust’. There are concerns about the uncertainty of artificial intelligence and the violation of fundamental rights or threats to democracy that artificial intelligence will cause, and the establishment of an ecosystem of trust is a response to this. The European Union is trying to solve this problem by building a trust ecosystem on the premise of the uncertainty of artificial intelligence. As such, the EU policy on artificial intelligence aims to implement human-centered artificial intelligence. However, the AI white paper does not contain specific and binding regulatory measures. Under these circumstances, the Regulation on Artificial Intelligence proposed by the European Commission on April 21, 2021 has practical meaning. In the AI Regulation, the important framework presented in the AI White Paper is largely maintained, and it can be seen that these contents form a central element of the AI Regulation. If the AI Regulation is enacted, it will be the first regulatory system with direct binding force on member states. The AI norms are the minimum safeguards for innovation and investment in AI. It is noteworthy that the regulatory system based on risk was established. In particular, the requirements and obligations for high-risk AI are impressive, and it is worth referring to establishing a regulatory system for artificial intelligence in Korea. These contents are a reflection of the risk-based AI regulatory policy presented in the previous White Paper on AI. Considering that these regulations are not limited to EU member states and can affect providers or users in third countries, it is necessary to pay attention to the process and trends in the enactment of artificial intelligence commands and to prepare effective countermeasures.