A few hours after presenting the Commission’s new action plan to relaunch the EU in the global AI race (see other news), the Commissioner for Technological Sovereignty, Henna Virkkunen, appeared before the MEPs on the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) to present the details.
In a highly anticipated appearance, the Vice-President of the Commission faced lengthy questioning from elected representatives, with many questions on the withdrawal of the AI Liability Directive (AILD), which was widely criticised when it was announced (see EUROPE 13578/12).
Axel Voss (EPP, German), the text’s rapporteur for the JURI Committee, expressed his disappointment at the announced withdrawal of the directive, given the benefits it could bring in terms of harmonising rules at European level.
A number of his colleagues, including Tiemo Wölken (S&D, German), Sergey Lagodinsky (Greens/EFA, German) and René Repasi (S&D, German), echoed his concerns, calling for clarification on the reasons for the withdrawal of the AILD and the future course of action.
The Commissioner did not directly give a precise answer to their requests, simply noting the different opinions on the subject and arguing that since the implementation of a directive is the responsibility of the Member States, its adoption does not constitute a certainty that the market will become harmonised.
On Monday 7 April, six human rights and consumer associations, including the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), wrote a letter to the Commissioner to express their concern about the proposed withdrawal of the AILD.
They write that, under the current legislative framework for consumer protection, “it is very difficult, if not impossible, for the large majority of people to prove that it was the faulty behaviour of the AI operator that led to a certain harm”.
“Important legal gaps remain”, they say. “For example, the PLD does not allow for claims against the deployer of the AI system”.
In their view, the Commission should adopt a directive similar to the AILD directive in order to avoid “fragmentation and enhance trust in AI”.
To see the letter, go to https://aeur.eu/f/gd0 (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)