The EU's Artificial Intelligence Act and copyright

Abstract

The European Union's (EU's) Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act), published on 12 July 2024, seeks to establish a consistent legal framework for AI systems within the EU, promoting trustworthy and human-centric AI while safeguarding various fundamental rights. The Act classifies AI applications into three risk categories: unacceptable risk, high risk, general purpose AI models with systemic risk and low or no risk, each with corresponding regulatory measures. Although initially not focused on copyright issues, the rise of generative AI led to specific provisions addressing general purpose AI models. These provisions include transparency obligations, particularly regarding the technical documentation and content used for training AI models, and policies to respect EU copyright laws. The Act aims to balance the interests of copyright holders and AI developers, ensuring compliance while fostering innovation and protecting rights.