The European Parliament today adopted the EU Regulation laying down harmonised rules on Artificial Intelligence (AI Regulation). The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI) welcomes the AI Regulation as a supplement to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI), Professor Ulrich Kelber, commented:

“I am pleased that the European legislator has been able to reach an agreement on the AI Regulation. The requirements formulated in it supplement existing requirements and support compliance with them. This will strengthen the protection of fundamental rights, in particular data protection. I welcome the fact that the data protection supervisory authorities are designated as supervisors for various high-risk AI systems. “Prof Ulrich Kelber

Many of the requirements for high-risk AI systems in the regulation are closely related to data protection. For example, protection against automated decision-making is strengthened by the GDPR and extended by the requirement for human supervision in AI-supported decision-making.

At the same time, the BfDI regrets that some of the points of criticism expressed by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) and the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) in a joint opinion in 2021 have not been implemented: It is an omission that there is no clear ban on biometric remote recognition in public spaces. The German government should utilise the opening clause for stricter national bans.

https://www.bfdi.bund.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/DE/2024/02_KI-Verordnung.html