EU Regulations Propose Openness in AI Model Details from Manufacturers
The European Union (EU) has implemented new rules for providers of General-Purpose AI (GPAI) systems, effective August 2, 2023. These rules, based on the EU AI Act adopted in May 2024, aim to ensure compliance, transparency, and intellectual property protection.
Under the new regulations, providers are responsible for compliance when placing a GPAI model on the EU market. They must maintain detailed technical documentation and publish summaries of training data. Providers must also comply with EU copyright law, ensuring lawful use of protected materials in training data and outputs.
To clarify data provenance and usage rights, the Act mandates transparency and documentation. Developers must disclose how their systems work and the data used for training. They must also specify the measures taken to protect copyright, including whether they automatically scraped websites for training data.
However, certain associations have voiced concerns that the legislation does not require the naming of specific datasets, domains, or sources. They argue that this lack of specificity weakens the protection of intellectual property.
Violations of the new rules can result in fines of up to 15 million euros or three percent of the company's total global annual turnover. From August 2026, the EU AI Authority will begin enforcing these rules for models introduced after that date.
Models that entered the market before August 2, 2025, will be controlled from August 2027. It is worth noting that private individuals can sue providers based on the AI Act, although Google has not been specifically mentioned as concerned in the article.
The new rules also aim to strengthen copyright, addressing concerns about unauthorized use or infringement in AI model training and deployment. Downstream actors who integrate or modify GPAI models may become providers themselves if their modifications result in a "significant change" in the model’s generality, capabilities, or systemic risk. Providers established outside the EU are subject to obligations once the model is placed on the EU market, especially if integration into downstream systems occurs within the EU.
Detailed guidance on determining provider status aims to clarify accountability and intellectual property rights management under the AI Act. This guidance is intended to provide clarity and ensure that all parties involved understand their roles and responsibilities under the new regulations.
Several associations of authors, artists, and publishers have expressed concerns that the legislation does not adequately protect intellectual property. However, the transparency and documentation mandates, coupled with the requirement to comply with EU copyright law, are intended to address these concerns and provide a more secure environment for creators and innovators in the AI sector.
References: 1. EU AI Act 2. EU AI Act Guidance on Determining Provider Status 3. Initiative for Copyright
Technology and artificial-intelligence are closely intertwined in the EU AI Act, where providers of General-Purpose AI (GPAI) systems are expected to adhere to new regulations effective August 2, 2023. As per the Act, providers must maintain detailed technical documentation, publish summaries of training data, and ensure compliance with EU copyright law, protecting the intellectual property rights of creators in the training data and outputs.
