Ahead of the formal endorsement by the European Union, a diplomatic source within the EU has revealed that France is now supporting the AI regulations proposed by the EU, subject to stringent conditions. This development follows earlier indications that France had been the final holdout in the bloc to lend its support to the plan.

The specified conditions involve finding a balance between transparency and safeguarding business confidentiality, along with the implementation of obligations for high-risk AI systems to avoid administrative burdens, according to the unnamed official. The overarching goal is to foster the development of competitive AI models within the EU.

Sources indicate that French AI startup Mistral, founded by former researchers from Meta and Google AI, along with Germany's Aleph Alpha, have been actively advocating for their respective governments to support these regulations.

Why does this matter?

This move aims to foster competitive AI models in the EU. Kudos to Mistral and Aleph Alpha for their advocacy. The formal endorsement of the AI Act is expected from ambassadors representing the 27 EU countries. The subsequent steps for it to become legislation involve a vote by a key committee of EU lawmakers on 13 February, followed by a vote in the European Parliament, scheduled for either March or April. The political deal between EU countries and lawmakers was reached in December of the previous year.