The European Commission on Wednesday has set out new rules to make it easier for victims to get compensation for damages linked to artificial intelligence (AI). 

Under the regime, consumers in the European Union are to have “the same level of protection as with traditional technologies,” Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová said in a statement. 

The regulations make the EU’s “legal framework fit for the realities of the digital transformation” happening in the bloc’s economy, EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders added.

Victims who suffer damages, such as injury, in a case involving AI are to be better able to identify the parties at fault in a simplified process under the proposal. 

Another example would make it easier for a victim to receive compensation if discriminated against in a recruitment process involving AI technology, the commission said. 

The commission has described the regulations as a “targeted harmonization of national liability rules for AI” and are designed to cover all AI systems. 

In addition, the new rules would make disclosing often complicated AI-system information more straightforward to victims when pursuing a case. 

The EU executive arm argues that establishing a clear compensation regime for AI products boosts public trust in AI and encourages uptake of the technology. 

The commission proposed the regulations alongside a wider update of the bloc’s liability rules for products to reflect global supply chains and new digital technologies. 

Current regulations are nearly 40 years old, according to the EU executive arm. 

The European Parliament and the European Council, the body representing the 27 EU member states, are now set to scrutinize the proposals. © dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH.