Being biased towards the ‘bias’ might not be the best starting point when attempting to demystify the AI Act Proposal. This piece aims to shed some light on the different meanings of the term and how they could be mixed and misinterpreted in the future Regulation.

The field of AI regulation has been especially dynamic in the recent months with more to come on the horizon. On 11 May 2023 the Internal Market Committee and the Civil Liberties Committee of the European Parliament adopted a draft negotiation mandate on the AI Act. This mandate was endorsed by the whole Parliament on 14 June 2023, marking the beginning of the negotiations on the final form of the Regulation with the Council.

On 12^th July 2016, the European Commission launched the long-awaited EU-U.S. Privacy Shield. The shield was born from the ashes of the Safe Harbour with the promise to restore trust through strong safeguards. However, many have considered this instrument stillborn for its failure to convince anyone but its creators of its adequacy, effectiveness and commitment to the level of protection and principles of data protection in the EU. The choice of vague legalese, the introduction of new actors of dubious legal value, and the general trend of seeking a solution to the effect rather than the cause of the problem have all created the feeling of a Damoclean Sword hanging over the ICT industry instead of a Shield protecting the rights and interests of both citizens and businesses.

In 2015, the French Court of Cassation submitted a request for preliminary reference to the Court of Justice of the European Union in an interesting case about forced bundling of computers and software. The outcome was long anticipated by the free software community which has been advocating for a long time against this practice of computer manufactures and major software companies. It was seen as a hope of putting an end to the so-called ‘ Windows tax’. With the decision in Deroo-Blanquart, however, these hopes seem to have been dashed.

Imagine your refrigerator ordering eggs and milk when you have completely forgotten you would be having guests and would need to bake a cake. Or your washing machine taking care of detergent supply on its own. Or your self-driving car charging itself when low on battery and handling the whole process of (self)-maintenance, so that you never ever have to worry about this again, and with your data and private life completely protected. Science fiction? Yes and no.