European Parliament Approves Ban on AI-Powered Facial Recognition in Public Places

The ban is part of a draft law called the Artificial Intelligence Act, which aims to promote ethical and sustainable AI systems.

The ban was supported by 335 votes in favor and 235 against, and the lawmakers rejected an amendment that would have allowed the use of biometrics in certain cases.

The regulation still needs to be negotiated with member states, and the talks are expected to be influenced by the emergence of chatbots.

The amendment, which was submitted by the center-right European People's Party, aimed to allow the use of biometrics in searches for missing people, prevention of terrorist attacks, and detection of criminals.

However, MEPs voted down the amendment, citing concerns about privacy and democratic values.