On Tuesday, 25 February, the Cabinet of Ministers considered the information report "On the implementation of the requirements of the Artificial Intelligence Act" prepared by the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development (VARAM), which defines the responsible institutions and the necessary actions for the full implementation of the European Union Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act in Latvia.
Inga Bērziņa, Minister of Smart Administration and Regional Development, says: "Artificial intelligence is already changing our lives and our economy, and Latvia must be an active participant in this process, not an observer. The introduction of the AI Act is necessary for our country to create a safe and innovation-friendly environment where technology is developed and used responsibly. The introduction of this regulation will strengthen both public confidence in AI solutions and the competitiveness of companies, contributing to Latvia's position as a technology development centre in Europe. We aim to strike a balance - supporting innovation while ensuring that AI systems are used safely and ethically."
The AI Act is the first comprehensive AI regulation in Europe, with strict security and transparency requirements, especially for high-risk AI systems. To ensure effective implementation in Latvia, the information report describes the current situation, the requirements of the AI Act and defines the actions to be taken by public authorities to ensure its national implementation.
The implementation of the AI Act will enable Latvia to develop a reliable and innovation-friendly AI environment that will be safe for both business and society. In the coming years, Latvia plans to strengthen its capacity to regulate AI by promoting the development and monitoring of high quality AI products and ensuring that AI is used responsibly and in accordance with internationally accepted standards.
The VARAM is designated as the responsible authority for the implementation of the AI Act as a whole, as well as for cooperation with the European Commission. The Ministry of Economy will perform the functions and tasks of the notifying authority, liaising with the European Commission and informing it about the conformity assessment bodies and procedures. The Latvian National Accreditation Bureau will act as the national accreditation body. The Ombudsman will perform the functions and tasks of the authority for the protection of fundamental rights under the AI Act. Market surveillance of the AI Act will be carried out by the Consumer Rights Protection Centre, the Health Inspectorate, the State Agency "Civil Aviation Agency", the Latvian Maritime Administration, the State Railway Technical Inspectorate, the State Technical Supervision Agency, the Road Traffic Safety Directorate, the State Service for Quality of Education, the State Data Inspectorate, the State Security Service, the Military Intelligence and Security Service and the Office for Constitutional Protection, in line with the areas identified in the Information Report. At the same time, the State Data Inspectorate will provide market surveillance of prohibited AI practices and high-risk AI systems, while the Bank of Latvia will provide market surveillance of AI systems made available on the market, put into operation or used by financial institutions under its supervision.
In order to enable the institutions to effectively implement the requirements of the AI Act, the Information Report identifies the necessary changes to the laws and regulations, as well as possible additional resources.