Nearly five years after the implementation of the EU General Data Protection Regulation, Europe is immersed in a digital market strategy that is giving rise to a host of new, interconnected regulation. Among this complexity resides the proposed Artificial Intelligence Act. Originally presented by the European Commission April 2021, the AI Act is now in the hands of the Council of the European Union and European Parliament.

If passed, this would be the world's first comprehensive, horizontal regulation of AI.

On my visit to Brussels for the IAPP Data Protection Congress, I had the opportunity to meet with AI Act Co-rapportuer and Romanian Member of Parliament Dragoș Tudorache in his office.

During our extended conversation, we discussed the risk-framework for the proposal, how the legislation will intersect with existing regulations, like the GDPR, current sticking points with stakeholders and what this means for privacy and data protection professionals.