The European Parliament today approved the AI Act, the first ever regulatory framework governing the use of AI systems. The legislation passed with an overwhelming majority of 523 votes in favour, 46 against and 49 abstentions.

“This is a historic day,” said Italian lawmaker Brando Benifei, co-lead on the AI Act. “We have the first regulation in the world which puts a clear path for safe and human-centric development of AI.”

The AI Act will categorise AI systems into four tiers based on their potential risk to society. High-risk applications like self-driving cars will face strict requirements before being allowed on the EU market. Lower risk systems will have fewer obligations.

“The main point now will be implementation and compliance by businesses and institutions,” Benifei stated. “We are also working on further AI legislation for workplace conditions.”

His counterpart, Dragoş Tudorache of Romania, said the EU aims to promote these pioneering rules globally. “We have to be open to work with others on how to build governance with like-minded parties.”