This Friday, the Council of the EU will vote to adopt the AI Act. This legislation intends to bring wide ranging legal clarity to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the EU. AI is a fast-evolving technology and has many implications for the media sector. The AI Act will require operators in the AI value chain to respect a set of risk-based rules, including transparency obligations on training data, while raising awareness of end users interacting with AI systems or content.

Wouter Gekiere, Head of the Brussels Office, EBU, said:  “The EU has made great efforts in creating one of the first legally binding AI frameworks.This legislation is a great step towards ensuring more transparency in AI systems while also stressing the importance of the responsible use and operating of AI tools. The AI Act is an important global standard for the future.”

The AI Act sets out critical principles for media creation and use. It will enable content providers, such as public service media, to have more transparency on how AI systems use their content. This compromise result is the first step in establishing a more balanced relationship between AI systems and content providers. Looking to the future, the EU must assess the impact of generative AI systems on media and develop appropriate responses to protect media and safeguard audience trust.  

Public service media are innovators in AI development. Our Members are using AI-assisted recommendation and translation tools that enable the sharing of news cross-border the pan-European networked newsroom: A European Perspective.

As the AI Act concludes, Public Service Media stand ready to support EU institutions in order to ensure an effective enforcement of the new rules.