European Union lawmakers have given the final go-ahead to a significant law regulating artificial intelligence (AI) use across businesses and organizations in Europe, as per CNN reports.

This pioneering law aims to control AI’s application in various sectors ranging from healthcare to policing. It introduces strict regulations against certain unacceptable uses of the technology while imposing rigorous guardrails for other high-risk applications.

The EU AI Act specifically prohibits AI-powered social scoring systems and any biometric tools attempting to deduce an individual’s race, political views, or sexual orientation. It also bans AI from analyzing emotions in educational and workplace settings, as well as certain automated profiling practices predicting future criminal behavior.

Moreover, the law identifies a separate category of high-risk AI uses, particularly in education, employment, and public services. It imposes additional transparency and obligations on such applications, according to CNN.

Companies like OpenAI, known for producing sophisticated AI models, will now face new disclosure requirements under this law. Additionally, all AI-generated deepfakes must be clearly labeled to address concerns about manipulated media leading to misinformation and electoral interference.

Expected to come into effect in about two years, this comprehensive legislation underscores the rapid response of EU policymakers to the growing popularity of AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

This legislative milestone, endorsed by a plenary vote in the European Parliament, originates from a proposal introduced in 2021. This early initiative aligns with the surge in investment and public interest following the release of ChatGPT.