GitHub and Hugging Face are pushing the European Union to loosen regulations on open-source artificial intelligence

In an open letter, researchers and developers of open-source AI argue that the current terms of the European AI Act should be revised.

The European Union is being urged to relax forthcoming regulations for open-source artificial intelligence models by a group of digital companies including GitHub, Hugging Face, Creative Commons, and others in an open letter.

According to the letter’s authors, open-source AI development is threatened by the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act’s provisions that treat upstream open-source projects the same as commercial goods or deployed AI systems.

The group proposed five changes to the AI Act that would make it more conducive to open source models: a more precise definition of AI components, an explanation that working together on open source models is exempt from the bill’s requirements, protections for researchers by allowing limited testing in real-world conditions, and proportional requirements for “foundation models.”

As the name suggests, open-source software is software for which the source code is freely available for review, modification, and improvement. Open-source software aid in the training and deployment of models in the area of artificial intelligence.

In June, the European Parliament voted in favour of the Act by a huge margin (499 to 28), with 93 members not voting. Once all 27 member states of the European Union (EU) Council agree on a single version of the Act’s text in 2021, it will officially become law. Next, specific talks will be held with each EU member state in order to iron out the remaining kinks.

Also Read: The Cato Institute Fears For Economic Stability As U.S. Debt Soars