Ceci n’est pas un produit: What the EU AI Act Misses, and Why

The EU’s draft AI Act has attracted a great deal of attention. It adopts a long-time favourite regulatory mode of the EU, conceiving AI as a risky product to which free movement can be applied with the help of technical standards bodies, self-certification and a CE stamp. The confidence with which this regime is applied masks the cracks beneath the surface. In this talk, we will consider whether AI can really be conceived as a product; whether the type of regulation proposed has the democratic qualities needed for solid, legitimate governance; and perhaps most critically, what challenges simply moving in this direction at all poses for the broader regulation of complex challenges under the EU’s strained constitutional framework.

Michael Veale is Associate Professor in digital rights and regulation at University College London's Faculty of Laws. His research focusses on how to understand and address challenges of power and justice that digital technologies and their users create and exacerbate, in areas such as privacy-enhancing technologies and machine learning. This work is regularly cited by legislators, regulators and governments, and Dr Veale has consulted for a range of policy organisations including the Royal Society and British Academy, the Law Society of England and Wales, the European Commission, the Commonwealth Secretariat. Dr Veale holds a PhD from UCL, a MSc from Maastricht University and a BSc from LSE.

The event is part of the Seminar Series “Platform Politics and Policy”.

Researchers from outside the WZB who would like to attend may email the organizer, robert.gorwa [at] wzb.eu, to be put onto the seminar series mailing list.