It is important to ensure consistency between all the initiatives under development.

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Over the summer the European Commission launched an Inception impact assessment on the ethical and legal requirements on Artificial Intelligence, collecting inputs until 10 September 2020. Inception impact assessments set out the “initial analysis of the problem, policy objectives and different solutions as well as their likely impacts”.

CEMA contributed to the assessment, bringing forward its position. 

On ethical and legal requirements on AI, CEMA highlighted the importance of coordinating the different initiatives already initiated, whether on the European level (revision of the Machinery Directive to take into account new technologies), or on international level.

CEMA was, among the proposed options, in favour of a non-legislative approach to ensure an overall harmonised European framework in which ethical aspects would not interfere with specific product regulations.

The Commission is expected to adopt legislation on this subject by the first quarter of 2021.