On Tuesday 5 October, MEPs voted on the text tabled by Petar Vitanov (S&D, Bulgaria) on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by police and judicial authorities in criminal cases.
While the results of the final vote were not yet known at the time of going to press, sources close to the matter predicted that the text should be approved by the MEPs meeting in plenary.
Earlier on Tuesday, MEPs rejected amendments tabled by some EPP group MEPs which aimed, among other things, to remove from the report the call for a ban on mass biometric surveillance using, for example, facial recognition in public spaces.
“AI poses considerable risks to fundamental rights and the Rule of law. We need to set very clear limits. We must have legislation that prohibits certain AI applications that are incompatible with fundamental rights”, said Mr Vitanov in a plenary debate on Monday 4 October.
During this debate, the differences between the S&D and the EPP became clear. “It is too easy to ask for bans without taking into account the reality on the ground for the police. We cannot close our eyes to digitalisation, it is our duty to find a balance. We must not throw the baby out with the bathwater”, said Tom Vandenkendelaere (EPP, Belgium).
“There are two groups. The first, to which I belong, wants to protect fundamental rights by not allowing the illegal application of AI. And the other group wants to convince us that the conditions of these AI applications allow for the protection of human rights”, Petar Vitanov summarised.
In a referee position, the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, said she was “concerned” about fundamental rights, but said AI was “a necessary tool” in law enforcement.
In the course of the debate, the S&D seemed to draw a number of political groupings in the European Parliament into the debate, such as the Greens/EFA and The Left.
“What we can - and should - do, is seek to use AI to reduce the prejudices and discriminations that plague our society, including in the field of law enforcement”, stressed Dragoș Tudorache (Renew Europe, Romania). “Technology is a tool. We need to invest in it until it is good enough to serve our values”, he added. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)