Taiwan's National Development Council releases draft of Artificial Intelligence Basic Law: to prevent AI from taking jobs, will formulate employment counseling.

Artificial intelligence technology AI has rapidly developed in recent years and is globally recognized as a crucial driving force for advancing industries and societal activities. In order to gain a key competitive advantage in this wave of technological advancement, the Taiwanese government is actively promoting the draft of the "Artificial Intelligence Basic Law" aimed at promoting digital transformation and sustainable development in various fields. The draft was officially released on July 15, 2024, and will seek feedback from various sectors within 60 days.

Taiwan Recognizes the Importance of Artificial Intelligence Technology

The National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction stated that advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology have become a crucial source of global economic and social benefits. Taiwan's businesses and national development have also benefited from this, especially in areas deeply impacting the public such as climate change, environmental protection, healthcare, finance, transportation, domestic affairs, agriculture, and public services, where active adoption of AI technology is needed to drive digital transformation and sustainable development.

Taiwan's Definition of Artificial Intelligence

According to the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction, the definition of AI systems is based on technical specifications jointly developed by referencing the U.S. National AI Initiative Act of 2020, U.S. Code Chapter 9401, ISO/IEC 40021:2023 AI Management System, NIST's AI Risk Management Framework, and the EU Artificial Intelligence Act. The definition of AI systems includes the following:

AI systems must be designed to have a certain level of autonomous operation, capable of generating outputs that affect physical or virtual environments through inputs, sensing, machine learning, algorithms, and realizing predictions, content, recommendations, or decisions for explicit or implicit specific objectives, distinguishing them from other software systems.

Seven Fundamental Principles and Four Key Promotion Points

The National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction's draft "AI Basic Law" reveals seven fundamental principles including sustainability, human autonomy, privacy protection, cybersecurity, transparency, non-discrimination, and accountability, as well as four key promotion points focusing on innovation collaboration, talent cultivation, risk management, responsible applications, rights protection, data utilization, regulatory adaptation, and business review, aiming to guide various agencies in development and promotion of AI applications.

Protection of Workers' Rights

The draft by the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction states that to address AI development, prevent workers from lacking relevant skills when using AI technology for job tasks, and ensure workers' rights, including occupational safety and health, labor relations, and a friendly work environment, the draft is formulated with reference to the U.S. "Development and Use of Safe and Trustworthy AI Executive Order" planned for 2023. Additionally, to prevent AI from causing unemployment, the government should provide counseling and employment measures to ensure stability and development of the labor market.

Taiwan Refers to EU and U.S. Drafts

The draft references the U.S.'s encouragement of innovative development and the EU's consideration of people's rights, serving as directions for government promotion. Major countries worldwide are seeking to establish governance policies and principles for AI, such as the EU's "AI Act" proposed in 2021 and passed in 2024, focusing on protecting human rights, and the U.S. President's issuance of the "Development and Use of Safe and Trustworthy AI Executive Order" in 2023, setting tasks for AI development across federal departments.

Taiwan to Coordinate Cross-Ministerial AI Regulations

The National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction will play a coordinating role across ministries and fields, in coordination with the Executive Yuan's Digital Policy and Legal Coordination Meeting, to collaborate with various ministries in promoting the legal regulations and mechanisms needed for AI development, with the aim of continuously encouraging innovation, balancing human rights and risk response, and enhancing the country's overall competitiveness.

Inquiries on AI Draft Proposal

The draft proposal will be open for public feedback for 60 days from the publication date to gather opinions for further refinement. During the announcement period until September 13, the draft content can be accessed on the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction's regulatory search system (https://law.nstc.gov.tw/) under the "Draft Proposal" section and the National Development Council's "Public Policy Online Participation Platform - Join the Discussion" (https://join.gov.tw/policies/) for inquiries.