Foreseeing the Impact of the Proposed AI Act on the Sustainability and Safety of Critical Infrastructures

TL;DR

This paper analyzes how the proposed EU AI Act could positively influence the sustainability and safety of critical infrastructures by enabling AI use in safety-critical systems, contrasting with existing standards like IEC 61508.

Contribution

It provides an analysis of the potential industry impact of the AI Act, highlighting opportunities for AI to enhance sustainability in safety-critical infrastructure sectors.

Findings

AI can be integrated into safety-critical systems under the AI Act.

The AI Act may promote sustainability aligned with EU and UN goals.

Examples of AI solutions that improve safety and sustainability.

Abstract

The AI Act has been recently proposed by the European Commission to regulate the use of AI in the EU, especially on high-risk applications, i.e. systems intended to be used as safety components in the management and operation of road traffic and the supply of water, gas, heating and electricity. On the other hand, IEC 61508, one of the most adopted international standards for safety-critical electronic components, seem to mostly forbid the use of AI in such systems. Given this conflict between IEC 61508 and the proposed AI Act, also stressed by the fact that IEC 61508 is not an harmonised European standard, with the present paper we study and analyse what is going to happen to industry after the entry into force of the AI Act. In particular, we focus on how the proposed AI Act might positively impact on the sustainability of critical infrastructures by allowing the use of AI on an industry where it was previously forbidden. To do so, we provide several examples of AI-based solutions falling under the umbrella of IEC 61508 that might have a positive impact on sustainability in alignment with the current long-term goals of the EU and the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, i.e., affordable and clean energy, sustainable cities and communities.