Advancing the integration between environmental, economic and social policies is at the core of the foundational Treaty on European Union. Today, the Bloc is recognized as an international leader in environmental protection, something that is likely to be strengthened by the upcoming EU AI Act.

Indeed, the EU AI Act, which takes a risk-based approach to AI regulation and likely to become the global gold standard for AI legislation, aims to protect “fundamental rights, democracy, the rule of law and environmental sustainability from high-risk AI” while encouraging innovation and establishing Europe as a leader in AI. In a landmark election year globally, AI’s impact on first the three points – our rights, our democracy, and the rule of law – is a popular topic of discussion. However, the environmental impact of AI is increasingly becoming a concern around the world and has sparked action from policymakers. In this blog post, we examine how the environmental provisions in the EU AI Act contribute to this action.