Illustrative image (Photo: Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

The regulation passed by a vote of 523-46 in the European Parliament. The EU's 27 states are expected to endorse the text in April before the law is published in the EU's Official Journal in May or June.

Italian parliamentarian Brando Benifei, who pushed for the passage of this bill, said this is a historic milestone on the long road to ratifying AI regulations – the first regulation in the world that outlines a clear roadmap to safe, human-centered AI development.

Rules covering AI models like ChatGPT will enter into force 12 months after the law becomes official. Most other provisions will kick in after two years.