Several tech companies, including GitHub, Hugging Face, and Creative Commons, have jointly written an open letter to the European Union (EU), urging policymakers to reconsider certain aspects of the EU's AI Act, which is set to regulate open-source artificial intelligence (AI) models. The companies argue that classifying upstream open-source projects as commercial products or deployed AI systems could hinder the development of open-source AI and is incompatible with the principles of open-source development.
In the letter, the panel makes five recommendations to ensure that the AI Act applies appropriately to open-source models. These recommendations include defining AI components clearly, clarifying that collaborative development of open-source models should be exempt from certain regulations, securing exceptions for Researchers to test models under realistic conditions, and setting scale requirements for the "base model." Open-source AI software allows anyone to access, modify, and enhance the source code, making it an essential tool for training and deploying AI models.
The European Parliament passed the AI Act in June, and it will become law once the EU Council, representing the 27 member states, agrees on a common version of the text, expected to happen in 2021. The letter emphasizes that the regulation sets a global precedent for AI regulation, addressing its risks while promoting innovation. The signatories believe that the regulation can further these goals through increased transparency and collaboration among different stakeholders, stating that AI needs regulation with appropriate standards, oversight, liability, and recourse for damages.
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