Legal regulation of artificial intelligence in European countries

Abstract

The study focuses on the analysis of approaches to the legal regulation of artificial intelligence in European countries, which is becoming increasingly relevant today due to the rapid development of technologies. In this context, the research concentrates on the examination of regulatory frameworks that are gradually and consistently being developed in European countries to govern the use and advancement of artificial intelligence. Both pan-European strategies and national approaches to ensuring the ethical, social, and legal aspects of implementing artificial intelligence are analyzed, which makes it possible to better identify both the common features and the differences in the legal systems of various states.

It is noted that the development of a modern legal standard in this area can create a consolidated approach for the effective regulation of artificial intelligence in Europe, which, in turn, can ensure consistency of action among different countries and increase public trust in technology.

The article examines the novelties of the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act, currently considered one of the most significant documents in this field. The author applies comparative-legal and retrospective methods to analyze the regulatory paths of AI in European countries. The analysis highlights two basic approaches – normative-legal and ethical-legal – defines the specifics of their application in Sweden, France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Bulgaria, and Spain, and compares them with British practice.

The article further considers the necessary adaptations of Ukraine’s civil law to take these innovations into account, since it is evident that without such changes the national legal system will not be able to fully correspond to European trends. In particular, the need for the introduction of new regulatory acts or amendments to existing ones is examined, as well as the improvement of mechanisms for determining liability for artificial intelligence, which currently do not cover all the peculiarities of its functioning.

The scientific result of the study is the conclusion that Ukraine needs to combine European experience with its own national realities. In particular, the expediency of a combined approach is substantiated, one oriented towards ethical-legal frameworks with a gradual transition to normative regulation, as well as the recognition of AI as a source of increased danger. The prospects of implementing the provisions of the EU Regulation through the creation of “regulatory sandboxes,” improving liability mechanisms, and developing a future national Artificial Intelligence Act are shown.

The author concludes that Ukraine’s civil law requires significant and even profound changes to meet the new challenges posed by the development of artificial intelligence, and that the country’s ability to integrate into the modern European legal space will depend on these changes.