6 EU states including Italy put brakes on AI rules - sources

(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 19 - European Union (EU) Member States including Italy have put the brakes on the new European AI Act, the world's first law on artificial intelligence.
    At a meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) of the 27 EU member states, the Spanish rotating presidency of the European Council and the European Commission outlined the political agreement reached with the European Parliament on the AI Act last week, presenting it as a compromise in line with the Council's mandate.
    The delegations of Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Hungary and Finland, however, reportedly expressed the need to "see the text before saying whether and how much work still needs to be done in order to consider it closed".
    The delicate points of the agreement include the exemptions in the application of the regulation to systems used exclusively for military or defence purposes; general AI systems and models; the prohibitions and exceptions envisaged for law enforcement agencies; and the system of governance that gives a preponderant role to the European Commission in the implementation of the rules, especially those relating to high-impact models involving systemic risk.
    The issue, which must also receive the final green light from the European Parliament, will be discussed again by the Coreper in January. (ANSA).