site.btaMEP Eva Maydell: EU Institutions Want to Develop AI in a Way Consistent with Democratic Values

Bulgarian MEP Eva Maydell (European People's Party/GERB) Tuesday said the EU institutions want to develop AI in a way consistent with the democratic values. She was commenting on the adoption of the Artificial Intelligence Act by the European Parliament as an online participant in a discussion on "Digital Democracy: Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Rights" at the House of Europe in Sofia. The event is organized by the European Parliament Liaison Office in Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law.

Maydell said it was important to come up in time with a law on AI and to set a limit on what is allowed and what isn't. The AI Act does not apply to every single technology powered by AI, Maydell said. The law itself is structured like a pyramid - the riskier the use of the technology, the more it is under scrutiny. "The Bulgarian-language AI model, BgGPT, is not subject to this part of the law because our model is not yet as big as ChatGPT," she said.

Liaison Office Head Teodor Stoychev said this is the last legislation-related event at the House of Europe before the European Parliament elections in June. "We have presented many things in the past five years and will continue after the new Parliament is elected," he said.

Dobromir Ivanov, CEO of The Bulgarian Entrepreneurial Association (BESCO), said the AI Act is a step in the right direction; it is important what will be done from now on. The implementation of the whole framework in Bulgaria must not destroy the local companies. Judging from experience, when a regulation is adopted, Bulgaria chooses the most restrictive way to apply it, he said.

Nadya Shabani, Director of the Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law, said the AI Act is a bold step in the regulation of technologies that use AI. 'Well-being is important, but it is the sum total of enjoying the rights we have as citizens," Shabani said.

Polya Kanyova from the Electronic Governance Ministry said it relies entirely on civil society, partnership with NGOs and business. To this end, the Ministry has an advisory board, which is consulted on all topics relevant to digital transformation, as well as to areas concerning the Ministry, including cybersecurity and e-governance.