European Union ministers have unanimously given their final approval to the Artificial Intelligence Act. It is a major new law that regulates the use of transformative technology in “high-risk” situations, such as law enforcement and employment.

According to media reports, the European Union hopes that laying down strict AI rules relatively early in the technology’s development will address the dangers in time and help shape the international agenda for regulating AI.

Systems intended for use in “high-risk” situations, listed in the law’s annexes, will have to meet various standards and other things. Some uses, such as Chinese-style social credit scoring, will be banned outright.