The United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union issued a joint statement to promote competition in artificial intelligence

The four major regulatory agencies of the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States have issued Joint Statement of Intent The four organizations are the European Commission, the UK Competition and Markets Authority, the US Department of Justice and the US Federal Trade Commission.

The statement did not propose any overarching regulation or the creation of a new regulatory body.

“Our decisions will always remain sovereign and independent,” the statement read. But the groups said some collaboration was important because the risks posed by the AI ​​industry “are not limited by international borders.”

What did the joint statement say?

The statement is meant to guard against competitive risks, such as the entrenchment of an ecosystem of existing AI companies, higher barriers to entry, or a lack of choice for buyers. The wording of the statement also leaves room for more existential risks: “AI could be developed or used in a way that could harm the interests of consumers, entrepreneurs, or other market participants.”

Other challenges facing the AI ​​industry include limited access to chips and close collaboration between major players. On the latter, the CMA must decide by September whether to investigate the transfer of key talent from Inflection AI. Microsoft.

The joint statement is not associated with any specific survey or AI company, but suggests that these challenges can be addressed by following certain agreed principles:

• “Fair dealing” (as opposed to “exclusive strategy”).
• Interoperability.
• choose.

“AI is a borderless technology that has the potential to drive innovation and growth, delivering transformative benefits to people, businesses and economies around the world,” CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said in a statement. Press release“That’s why we’ve come together with our EU and US partners to articulate our commitment to help ensure fair, open, and effective competition in AI, driving growth and positive change in our societies.”

look: search engine It is the hottest new area of ​​competition among AI companies.

What does the joint statement mean for businesses?

The joint statement is part of an ongoing interaction between governments and the burgeoning artificial intelligence industry. EU imposes moratorium on release of multimodal AI products Axios reported on July 17 that the reason was that Facebook’s parent company believed that the EU lacked clarity on GDPR privacy rules.

At the same time, the European Commission investigation Providing “gatekeeping” software to some of the world’s largest tech companies under the Digital Markets Act.

this EU AI Act It will take effect on August 1, provide tools for startups and require companies to assign risk levels to AI systems and disclose AI-generated content.

The companies most likely to be affected are those in the EU that use AI products or large AI manufacturers. The bigger question, however, is whether the two groups can find a balance between protecting user privacy (especially as realistic AI images could spread misinformation) and allowing new companies a chance to shake up the industry.