Christian Bendiksen, partner at lawfirm Brækhus, says extensive Norwegian regulations on AI can make Norwegian businesses less competitive.

Artificial intelligence is about to be too heavily regulated, according to Christian Bendiksen, partner at the lawfirm Brækhus.

A specialist within the field of artificial intelligence and international law, Brækhus warns against this development.

“Some Norwegian politicians will ban AI until they know what it is. In parallel, EU is working on a large set of laws regulating the use of AI. We may be building so many obstacles that businesses cannot afford to make use of AI”, says Bendiksen.

He spoke at a seminar during Arendalsuka, where ethe ethics and legal issues regarding AI was discussed. The event was hosted by NODE, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and Telenor Maritime.

Bendiksen reminded the audience that Norway already has a set of laws that apply to any wrongful use of, and damage caused by, AI.

“Current law regulates the use of autonomous cars, the use of private information, and much more. Before we make new laws, we need to adapt existing set of laws to the new technology”, says Bendiksen.

Linda Hofstad Helleland, Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party, says her party has proposed to establish a public expert panel to advise politicians on AI.

“We must prevent politicians from putting so many restrictions on the use of AI that Norwegian businesses miss out on the huge possibilities that AI presents”, says Hofstad Helleland.

Inga Strümke, Associate Professor in AI, said Norway and the international community need to put in place common regulations that promote beneficial use of AI.

“Lawmaking aimed at preventing all sorts of potential negative effects of AI, will simply not work”, says Strümke.

Inga Strümke is an Associate Professor in artificial intelligence at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

November 02nd 2024

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