The European Union takes a new decisive step in the management of the AI. After launching the bases in February, Brussels active today the second part of his AI Act, directly targeting models for general use as a chatgpt. A regulatory offensive that divides players in the sector.
In short
- The EU strengthens its regulation by targeting generalists, imposing transparency, traceability and respect for copyright.
- Meta rejects these rules, in reverse of its more conciliatory competitors in the face of European regulatory pressure.
- This new supervision is part of a growing technological rivalry between Brussels and Washington.
The EU imposes new obligations on AI as chatgpt
The countdown is over. This Saturday, the European Union activates the second phase of its AI Act, this time targeting artificial intelligence models for general use – like Chatgpt, Claude or Gemini.
This new regulatory chapter Extend the system initiated on February 2, which laid the basics of the legal supervision of AI by prohibiting certain practices deemed at high risk, such as social rating or the exploitation of vulnerable people.
From now on, the requirements are precise and reinforced. The developers of these AIs will have to guarantee compliance with copyright, certify the origin of the content generated and stop massive personal data extractions. Haine and discriminatory speeches will also have to be proactively filtered.
This European regulatory power is part of a tense geopolitical context. While the United States favors self-regulation and China accelerates without democratic constraints, Europe is betting on a supervised AI.
A positioning that could make jurisprudence on a global scale, like the GDPR which has established itself as an international reference.
Thus, Brussels' strategy is clear: who wants to do business in Europe will have to respect its rules. A form of disguised digital protectionism which aims to rebalance the balance of power with the American tech giants.
Meta at the war open to Europe
Unlike Microsoft or Google, which are more conciliatory, Meta chooses frontal confrontation.
Mark Zuckerberg's company categorically refuses to comply with European requirements, preferring to bet on a direct confrontation with Brussels.
This meta resistance is explained by colossal financial issues. The new European rules directly threaten the company's economic model, based on the massive exploitation of personal data and the creation of content by artificial intelligence (AI).
Indeed, for Meta, submitting to AI Act would amount to restraining its capacity for innovation and offering a competitive advantage to its less scrupulous rivals.
On the side of the experts, the opinions differ on the real efficiency of this regulation. Some see it as a simple communication exercise for companies, allowing them to give themselves a “positive appearance” without major constraints.
Others believe that Europe plays big in this regulatory battle, even if it means taking the risk of seeing the American giants desert the European market.
This war of trenches between Meta and Europe perfectly illustrates the growing tensions between European digital sovereignty and American technological hegemony.
A showdown that could redefine the global balance of the digital economy and determine who, of unbridled innovation or supervised ethics, will prevail in the AI race.
Europe is advancing resolutely, carried by an ideal of ethical governance of artificial intelligence. But this lonely path, between legal constraints and strategic ambitions, could end up isolating the old continent more. The real issue today is no longer only to regulate AI, but to do so without sacrificing innovation or losing technological influence.
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