The AI Act is a proposed European law on artificial intelligence (AI) – the first law on AI by a major regulator anywhere. Its aim is to ensure that artificial intelligence (AI) systems placed on the EU market and used in the Union are safe and respect existing law on fundamental rights and Union values.
Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) and the European Edtech Alliance (EEA) have teamed up to provide background on the education technology (edtech) industry and its use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance the learning environment in Europe and to provide recommendations on the Artificial Intelligence Act (the “AI Act”) to foster the continued development of responsible artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to support students and teachers.
As trade and sector associations representing both edtech companies and organizations along with educational institutions, SIIA and EEA fully support the objectives of the AI Act to create a harmonized approach to regulating AI to protect citizens, including learners across the EU who engage with digital learning platforms. However, the proposed legislation brings forth serious concerns regarding the impact on the edtech industry and the advancement of future educational technology solutions.
We specifically emphasize that the Al guidelines will have a disparate impact on smaller edtech companies that would need to comply with the new expectations of the AI Act. We call for a differentiation of edtech services based on risk profile and also for support to develop and test AI tools in educational or learning settings. These measures will advance learning objectives, promote innovation, and ensure competitiveness in European edtech.
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