Europe now has a huge AI gap, for better or for worse
When it comes to tech, Europe has been on a slightly separate track from the U.S. for a while, but the paths are about to diverge big time.
As of today, Aug. 1, the European Union's AI Act is entering into force. The AI Act is a set of rules and regulations designed to protect European citizens from the perils of artificial intelligence.
The full text of the AI Act is available online, but the gist of it is this: it sorts AI applications into several risk categories, with some, such as government-run social scoring, being deemed unacceptable. High-risk AI systems, including those used in critical infrastructure and law enforcement, are regulated, with providers having to follow a strict set of rules on risk management, incident tracking, and more. Providers of AI systems designated as limited risk, including chatbots and deepfakes, are obligated to inform users they're interacting with AI.
SEE ALSO:Instagram now lets you create an AI version of yourselfIn contrast, the Biden administration has issued a set of AI-related safeguards, with numerous, large tech companies on board, but the rules are non-binding, and there's no penalty if they're not followed.
While Europe's AI rules aren't really becoming effective until February 2025, with some of the provisions applying as late as August 2026, the practical outcome for users right now is that the U.S. tech giants are extremely wary of offering AI features to European users.
In June, Apple introduced a set of AI features (dubbed Apple Intelligence), which should go live sometime in the fall, alongside the public launch of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. And while the AI features will seemingly arrive a little later than expected, some of them have just gone live in Apple's latest batch of developer betas — unless you're in Europe, that is.
In fact, Apple has already officially delayed its AI features in Europe due to regulatory concerns, likely until 2025.
There have been instances in the past of Europe not getting certain features due to the EU's regulators being a tad more stringent on certain matters than those in the U.S.; Meta's social network Threads arrived in Europe months after launching overseas, for example.
But the implications of AI features being delayed in Europe could be far more significant.
In its announcement of Apple Intelligence, Apple said the AI features are "deeply integrated into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia." They're certainly important enough to warrant an entire introductory web page on Apple's website. Apple is not alone in this; if you've seen a tech keynote in the past year or two – any keynote – you've likely heard the word "artificial intelligence" hundreds of times.
Related Stories
- OpenAI rolls out ChatGPT's new Voice AI (without Scarlett Johansson mode)
- This new tool can tell you whether AI has stolen your work
- Instagram now lets you create an AI version of yourself
- Apple's AI features will be late, report claims
- A Google AI model is improving climate forecasting
Individual features, such as Meta's recently launched AI Studio, or ChatGPT's Memory, which are also not available in Europe, are one thing. But Apple touts AI as a key element of the new iPhone, one of the most popular phones in Europe and the world. When the new iPhone 16 arrives in Europe without any of the promised AI features, it's a bigger deal.
It's not just about creating a fun Genmoji image, or Safari summarizing an article for you. Upcoming AI features on the iPhone also include smarter search and editing in Photos, AI-powered spelling and grammar checks, and a significantly smarter Siri, among other key upgrades. A brand new iPhone without any of these (for a couple of months at least) sounds like a very different deal than one with all these features enabled.
In Europe, the Memory Movie is just one of many AI features that will not be available when the iPhone 16 launches.Credit: AppleTech giants such as Apple and Meta certainly won't simply give up on AI in Europe. When it announced its AI features will arrive late in Europe, Apple said it will try to find a way to "deliver these features to our EU customers without compromising their safety," and the AI stuff will certainly come in one form or another. But this is just the beginning; as AI becomes more deeply integrated with the devices we use and rely on, it might get increasingly difficult to make them work similarly in the U.S. and Europe, given the different rulesets.
As someone who has lived in Europe most of my life, I'm used to certain features not being available — or being offered in a slightly different form than they are in the U.S. — and I do think that regulating the way big tech uses AI is necessary, and not just in a pinky-swear-not-to-do-bad-things type of way. But I also wonder just how big this rift is going to become now that the EU AI Act is in place.
-
10 Big Misconceptions About Computer HardwareHakimi up against country of his birth汉源县:聚焦重点工作精准施策 开启教育扶贫“加速度”绿美广东|候鸟“先头部队”抵粤!广东迎来观鸟季Sinner vs. Michelsen 2024 livestream: Watch US Open for freeHow to set up and use the Focus feature in iOS 15高速磁浮 激荡速度与梦想'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for September 14US to oppose North Korean worker dispatch to occupied Ukrainian territory: State Dept.加强检察工作 保障未成年人合法权益
- ·雅安市第四人民医院:工娱治疗让患者康复之路充满希望
- ·高速磁浮 激荡速度与梦想
- ·夏季常见疾病及预防办法
- ·Why Trump can’t designate antifa as a terrorist organization.
- ·Upgrade Your Monitor, Not Your GPU
- ·为家人健康请掐掉手中的烟
- ·YouTube will now share revenue with its YouTube Shorts creators
- ·'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for September 17
- ·实干担当抓落实 多措并举促发展
- ·When looting starts, shooting starts: Trump’s tweet carries legacy of racist violence.
- ·When looting starts, shooting starts: Trump’s tweet carries legacy of racist violence.
- ·YouTube removes NELK Boys interview of Donald Trump for election misinformation
- ·Where to pre
- ·White House goes dark as D.C. protesters rage outside.
- ·'Bring Brittney Griner home,' Ben Proudfoot tells President Biden at Oscars
- ·TikTok's search suggests misinformation almost 20 percent of the time, says report
- ·'Please find her': Man dies amid 25
- ·Pele health 'improving progressively': hospital
- ·How to set up and use the Focus feature in iOS 15
- ·How to create Instagram Highlights
- ·The OLED Burn
- ·Freezing cold wave to continue until early next week
- ·Dominic Fike and Zendaya's 'Euphoria' song is finally here
- ·How our shopping habits might shift in 2022, according to astrology
- ·Deceased K
- ·NK leader's appearances reflect focus on economy
- ·The Composer Has No Clothes
- ·随时随地“炫”榴莲,肇庆盛汇携榴莲冰皮赴喀什引起广泛关注
- ·Apple Watch 8 might have a temperature sensor
- ·Morocco shock Spain to reach quarter
- ·Number of COVID
- ·“组团式”帮扶助力广西融水教育振兴
- ·The art of fan edits
- ·Epic Games scores partial victory in legal battle royale with Apple
- ·护航孩子成长 解决职工后顾之忧
- ·England's Bellingham 'has everything': Kane