EU member states on Friday approved landmark rules on reining in artificial intelligence, after tough last-mile negotiations on the legislation billed as a world first. The EU law will regulate AI systems based on risk assessments of the software models involved—to be carried out by the firms themselves. Berlin and Paris had been particularly keen to protect AI startups, to prevent the rules from inhibiting future "European AI champions". Seeking to address their concerns, the EU's executive arm in late January launched a package of pro-innovation measures to support European startups in AI development.