Abstract

AI (ethics) initiatives are essential in bringing about fairer, safer, and more trustworthy AI systems. Yet, they also come with various drawbacks, including a lack of effective governance mechanisms, window-dressing, and ‘ethics shopping.’ To address those concerns, hard laws are necessary, and more and more countries are moving in this direction. Two of the most notable recent legislations include the Biden Administration’s Executive Order (EO) on AI and the E.U.’s AI Act (AIA). While several scholarly articles have evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of the AIA and proposed reform measures that could help strengthen the Act, only a couple of papers do the same for the EO or compare the two regulatory initiatives. The following sections try to close this research gap by providing an in-depth comparative analysis of the EO and AIA. They offer, in particular, a critical computer-ethical evaluation of the EO’s and AIA’s pros and cons and similarities and differences and discuss possible ways to improve both legislations.