Artificial intelligence technology (AI) has developed rapidly in recent years and is regarded globally as an important source of power to promote industrial and social activities. In order to gain a key competitive advantage in this wave of technology, the Taiwan government has actively promoted the draft of the "Artificial Intelligence Basic Law", aiming to promote digital transformation and sustainable development in multiple fields. The draft will be officially released on July 15, 2024, and will be widely solicited for opinions from all walks of life within 60 days.
Taiwan recognizes the importance of artificial intelligence technology
The National Science Council stated that the advancement of artificial intelligence technology has made it an important source of global economic and social benefits. Taiwan's enterprises and national development have also benefited from this, especially in areas that have a profound impact on the people, such as climate change, environmental protection, medical care, finance, transportation, internal affairs, agriculture, and public services. It is even more necessary to actively adopt artificial intelligence technology to promote digital transformation. and sustainable development.
Taiwan’s definition of artificial intelligence
The National Science Council refers to the National AI Initiative Act of 2020, U.S. Code Chapter 9401, and the technical specifications (ISO) jointly formulated by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). /IEC 40021:2023 Artificial Intelligence Management System), the AI Risk Management Framework of the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (Artificial Intelligence Act), the draft defines artificial intelligence systems as follows:
Artificial intelligence systems must be designed to have a certain degree of autonomous operation capabilities, through input or sensing, for explicit or implicit specific purposes (objectives), through machine learning (Machine learning) and algorithms (algorithms) realize predictions, content, suggestions or decisions, etc. that affect the output of the physical or virtual environment, which is different from other software systems.
Seven basic principles and four major promotion points
The National Science Council's draft of the "Artificial Intelligence Basic Law" reveals seven basic principles, including sustainable development, human autonomy, privacy protection, information security and safety, transparency and explainability, fairness and non-discrimination, and accountability, as well as innovative cooperation and talent cultivation, The four major promotion focuses of risk management and application responsibility, rights protection and data utilization, regulatory adjustment and business review are designed to guide various agencies to develop and promote the application of artificial intelligence.
Protection of workers’ rights and interests
The draft of the National Science Council stated that in response to the development of artificial intelligence, in order to prevent workers from lacking relevant skills when using and applying artificial intelligence technology to perform their jobs, and to ensure the rights and interests of workers, including occupational safety and health, labor relations and a friendly workplace environment etc., the draft is formulated with reference to the 2023 "Development and Use of Safe and Trustworthy AI Executive Order" of the United States. In addition, in order to avoid unemployment caused by artificial intelligence, the government should provide employment guidance measures to ensure the stability and development of the labor market.
Taiwan’s draft draws on the EU and the United States
The draft refers to the United States' spirit of encouraging innovative development and the European Union's spirit of taking into account people's rights and interests as the direction for government promotion. Major countries around the world are seeking to establish governance guidelines and principles for artificial intelligence. For example, the "Artificial Intelligence Law" proposed by the European Union in 2021 and passed for review in 2024 focuses on the protection of people's rights; the "Development Law" issued by the President of the United States in 2023 "Executive Order on the Use of Safe and Trustworthy AI" sets out the task of promoting the development of artificial intelligence in various federal departments.
Taiwan will coordinate AI regulations across ministries
The National Science Council will play a cross-ministerial and cross-field coordinating role, cooperate with the Executive Yuan’s Digital Policy and Legal Coordination Conference, and coordinate with ministries to promote the regulations and mechanisms required for the development of artificial intelligence, so that Taiwan’s artificial intelligence development can continue to encourage innovation and Take into account human rights and risk response, thereby enhancing the country's overall competitiveness.
AI draft is soliciting comments
The draft will be announced for 60 days from the date of release, and opinions from all walks of life will be continuously collected to complete the content. The notice period is from now until September 13. The content of the draft can be found in the "Draft Notice" area of the National Science Council's regulatory inquiry system (https://law.nstc.gov.tw/) and the "Public Policy Network" of the National Development Council. "Road Participation Platform-Zhongkai Lecture" (https://join.gov.tw/policies/) for inquiries.
This article Taiwan’s National Science Council releases a draft of the Basic Law on Artificial Intelligence: To prevent AI from stealing jobs, employment guidance will be drafted first appeared on Chain News ABMedia.
