On 13 March 2024 the European Parliament voted to approve the Artificial Intelligence Act, the first broad law of its kind. It entered into force later in the year, with its rules applying in stages.

The core idea: rules based on risk

  • Unacceptable risk: some uses are banned, such as certain kinds of social scoring.
  • High risk: AI used in areas like hiring, education, credit and law enforcement must meet strict requirements for testing, documentation and human oversight.
  • Limited risk: systems such as chatbots must make clear that people are talking to a machine.
  • Minimal risk: most everyday AI, such as spam filters, has few rules.

Why it matters beyond Europe

Companies that want to sell in Europe have to follow the rules, so the law can influence products used elsewhere. Other countries, including African nations, are developing their own approaches, and many look at what Europe has done.

What it means for education

AI used to grade pupils or assess their ability is treated as higher risk because mistakes can affect a child's future. That is a useful principle for any school: use AI to support teachers, and keep a human responsible for decisions about pupils.

Laws take time. Meanwhile, a school's own simple policy on AI use can start today.