The European Union has confirmed that industrial machinery will not be subject to the new Artificial Intelligence Act. Manufacturers of robots, presses, and production line equipment will only need to comply with existing sectoral regulations, thus avoiding a double regulation that the sector considered unnecessary.
Technical implications for embedded software developers 🤖
For system integrators, this means that control and computer vision algorithms in machine tools will continue to be governed by safety directives such as 2006/42/EC. There will be no need to certify compliance with high-risk AI if the system only optimizes processes without making critical autonomous decisions. Firmware development can continue under IEC 61508 standards without additional changes.
Industrial AI breathes a sigh of relief (and the lawyer too) ⚖️
Brussels has decided that hydraulic presses do not need permission to think. While existential chatbots cry over paperwork, welding robots will keep melting metal without asking for forgiveness. That said: if a robotic arm decides to work overtime and throw parts at the boss, the blame will fall on the instruction manual, not on artificial intelligence.