Fight over facial-recognition ban set to delay AI regulation in EU

The EU’s plans to regulate artificial intelligence – which apply to any company doing business in the 27-country bloc — are set to be delayed by more than a year, as authorities debated about whether or not to ban facial recognition technology.

Prospective EU regulations, unveiled last April by the European Commission, would class biometric identification systems as a high-risk system for privacy violations, with law enforcement barred from using such tools in public places.

Lawmakers are reportedly split over the rule, with negotiations over the issue forcing delays, Reuters reports.

MEP Dragos Tudorache told the news outlet that facial recognition was a sticking point. He said that some aspects of enforcement should be handled by the Commission, whereas the body wants national authorities to take over the responsibility.

“Facial recognition is going to be the biggest ideological discussion between the right and left,” he said, adding, “I don’t believe in an outright ban. For me, the solution is to put the right rules in place.”

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