A group of 12 European Parliament members has called on the European Union to create a new set of rules aimed at regulating a wider range of artificial intelligence tools.

The proposed “AI Act” would cover AI tools beyond those identified as being explicitly high risk. In an open letter published today, the MEPs further called for international cooperation in creating guardrails for AI development, after warnings from industry experts that the technology might become “dangerously powerful” without proper precautions, Reuters reported.

The MEPs published their letter after a group of prominent AI experts called for the EU to expand its existing AI regulatory framework. The argument is that if “general-purpose AI” is excluded from the regulations, they would not be worth the paper they are written on. General-purpose AI notably includes broad tools such as OpenAI LP’s ChatGPT, which are not designed for “high-risk” use but could be adapted in a way that elevates risk.

In their letter, the lawmakers said the proposed AI Act is intended to target only “high-risk” AI use cases. They claim that the EU also needs a complementary set of preliminary rules to govern the development and deployment of more powerful general purpose AI systems that can be adapted easily for a multitude of applications.

The MEPs also referenced an open letter from the Future of Life Institute, which was signed by hundreds of prominent technology industry names including billionaire Elon Musk, Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak and 2020 U.S. presidential candidate Andrew Yang. That letter called for a six-month pause on the development of more powerful models than OpenAI’s most recent one, GPT-4.

“We share some of the concerns expressed in this letter, even while we disagree with some of its more alarmist statements,” the lawmakers wrote. “We are nevertheless in agreement with the letter’s core message: with the rapid evolution of powerful AI, we see the need for significant political attention.”

The lawmakers said they intend to create a new set of rules within the AI Act’s framework that will ensure future AI development is directed in a more “human-centric, safe and trustworthy way.” Furthermore, they called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. President Joe Biden to hold a global summit on AI in order to agree on governing principles for its “development, control and deployment.”

Both democratic and nondemocratic governments need to exercise restraints and responsibility while pursuing more powerful AI, the lawmakers added. As such, they advocate for AI labs and for companies to maintain a sense of responsibility while also increasing transparency with regulators.

“Our message to industry, researchers, and decision-makers, in Europe and worldwide, is that the development of very powerful artificial intelligence demonstrates the need for attention and careful consideration,” the lawmakers said. “Together, we can steer history in the right direction.”

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