EU Tech Chief Defends AI Act Against Rogue AI Risks
Henna Virkkunen asserts the EU AI Act is sufficient to manage rogue AI risks while the European Commission reviews safety data from 30 companies.
European Union tech chief Henna Virkkunen stated that the EU AI Act is sufficient to manage the risks of rogue AI systems, dismissing claims that the current regulations are outdated. She noted that the framework covers the entire life cycle of AI models and that Europe is well equipped to handle the safety and security of highly capable models.
As part of this regulatory oversight, the European Commission requested safety, security, transparency, and copyright information from more than 30 AI companies in late August. These companies include startups from the United States and China. Virkkunen is currently assessing the responses to these requests, which could lead to formal investigations and fines reaching 7% of a company's global annual turnover.
Parallel to these regulatory efforts, EU governments are discussing potential new financing sources for the 2028-2034 budget. These discussions include the possibility of a digital levy specifically targeting large technology firms based in the United States.
