As a long-standing expertise companion to European governments, companies, and residents, Microsoft seeks to make sure that the continent advantages from digital applied sciences and synthetic intelligence (AI), whereas persevering with to respect the rights of EU residents on-line.
AI is now not a distant prospect however a gift actuality, reshaping the enterprise panorama, revolutionizing healthcare, and accelerating scientific discovery throughout the EU. But, as with every transformative expertise, AI brings doubtlessly important challenges in addition to immense alternatives. As a expertise firm offering AI providers, we bear a duty to make it possible for the options we ship are deserving of public belief.
The beginning of the brand new EU mandate presents a possibility to mirror on how finest to leverage new applied sciences for the advantage of individuals throughout the continent — driving innovation and competitiveness —in addition to to take proportionate steps to guard individuals from potential abuses of the identical expertise. At Microsoft, we’re trying ahead to working with the brand new choice makers within the European establishments as they embark on the 2024-2029 mandate.
Robust political management is all of the extra obligatory as we stand firstly of a brand new age of technological innovation. As President of the European Fee, Ursula von der Leyen, stated, “Europe is main the way in which in making AI safer and extra reliable, and oin tackling the dangers stemming from its misuse.”. On this pursuit, nonetheless, the EU shouldn’t lose sight of AI’s central position in driving the continent’s digital transformation and potential for financial development. Certainly, the EU ought to due to this fact “deal with turning into a world chief in AI innovation,” as emphasised by President von der Leyen in her political pointers. In her dedication to defending democracy, President von der Leyen additionally expressed her intention to proceed strengthening the EU’s strategy to AI-produced content material within the present mandate.
Advancing innovation and security would require a balanced, whole-of-society strategy that acknowledges the respective roles of presidency, civil society, and trade. The EU is already on the forefront of making strong authorized and regulatory frameworks, making trade gamers accountable for the event of protected on-line merchandise, together with AI. Microsoft acknowledges the legislative developments undertaken in the course of the 2019-2024 mandate of the Fee and stands prepared to interact in dialogue with EU stakeholders on implementing these in an efficient and proportionate method. We additionally see a necessity for modernized prison and different legal guidelines to assist handle the misuse of AI. The tempo of innovation requires a continued deal with these challenges because the AI revolution unfolds.
Our annual security analysis reveals the size of the potential problem. Sure societal teams are disproportionately in danger from deliberate misuse of this expertise. We due to this fact see a necessity for sensible steps to guard individuals — most notably youngsters, ladies, and older adults — from the harms that come up from abusive AI-generated content material.
On this white paper, we define steps that Microsoft is taking to deal with this hurt, in addition to coverage suggestions to construct on the present efforts and guidelines that handle these points head-on.
Central to our suggestions is the necessity to set up clear and proportionate guidelines that defend people whereas enabling Europe to proceed innovating. In our paper, we advocate for the EU to combine provenance instruments, strengthen applicable present authorized frameworks, and improve measures that put victim-based choice making on the forefront.
As an organization, we all know we’d like a powerful security structure for our providers, grounded in security by design, and incorporating sturdy media provenance and watermarking. Equally, we should proceed to safeguard our providers from abusive content material and conduct (whether or not artificial or not), by way of strong collaboration throughout trade and with governments and civil society, supported by ongoing training and public consciousness efforts. It’s essential that we construct belief in AI throughout society for its advantages to be absolutely realized.
Within the context of the EU’s mature regulatory panorama, we heart our suggestions on enhancing the response to the misuse of AI, by way of the lens of three key threat areas:
1. Defending youngsters from on-line exploitation.
2. Safeguarding ladies from non-consensual intimate imagery.
3. Safeguarding older adults, particularly towards AI-enabled fraud.
The challenges we face are important, however so is the chance. By proactively addressing these points, we will construct a future the place AI enhances human creativity, protects particular person privateness, and strengthens the foundations of our democracy.
At Microsoft, we’re dedicated to enjoying our half, however we acknowledge that we can not do it alone. We welcome engagement and suggestions from stakeholders throughout the EU’s digital ecosystem. It’s important that we get this proper, and meaning working collectively.
Microsoft stands for expertise that may be a optimistic pressure in society and folks’s lives, according to our mission to empower each particular person and group on the planet to realize extra. The time for motion is now.
Learn our full report right here: aka.ms/SyntheticMediaEUWhitepaper