Influential Policy Group Proposes Fundamental Rethinking of AI Regulation in Europe
New Report Contends Existing EU Regulations Insufficient for Unique Challenges Presented by Agentic AI
New York, NY, October 29, 2025 – The Association for Computing Machinery’s Europe Technology Policy Committee (ETPC) has released “Systemic Risks Associated with Agentic AI: A Policy Brief. ” This extensively researched study identifies potential gaps in the EU’s current regulatory framework and recommends opportunities to make AI oversight continuous and dynamic. The report contends that, while the recently introduced EU AI Act lays a strong foundation for governance, key challenges remain.
In their introduction, the ACM co-authors note that “Agentic AI—the new paradigm for creating autonomous systems capable of perceiving, reasoning, learning, and acting towards goals using large language models (LLMs) with minimal human oversight—offers transformative potential but also poses systemic risks.” Economic displacement, misinformation, and environmental harm are just a few of the potential adverse consequences outlined in the report.
As a first step, the Policy Brief explicitly defines Agentic AI as systems that “are capable of setting or refining plans and executing tasks with minimal or no human oversight.” According to the co-authors, the unique traits of Agentic AI include “persistent operation, adaptive learning and self-reflection.”
The key recommendations of “Systemic Risks Associated with Agentic AI: A Policy Brief ” encourage stakeholders to:
- Distinguish between regulatory foresight which addresses the creation of laws and compliance frameworks for managing systemic risks, and societal foresight which explores longer-term cultural adaptations and shifts in human behavior.
- Recognize that dynamic governance mechanisms and control features become necessary during their operation to ensure fairness, accountability, transparency of AI, as well as security, accuracy, and interpretability.
- Take legislative action to complement and adapt the EU AI Act and related frameworks. Specific initiatives should include amending and adding to the EU AI Act.
After outlining their main recommendations, the co-authors draw from their research to present a brief educational primer. Organized into short chapters, the report delves into topics such as what Agentic AI is, how self-optimizing technologies could escape human control, the various adverse risks of technology, and the current policy landscape.
“If you predicted 15 years ago that in 2025 we would have AI systems with the potential to move beyond human control—people would say you were dreaming up a science fiction novel,” explained Gerhard Schimpf, a co-author of the ETPC policy brief. “And in science fiction, autonomous machines often bring about tragic endings. But now, both this technology and its associated risks are realities. With our expertise as computer scientists, ETPC members can explain to the public why Agentic AI is so unique and how we can fundamentally rethink our approach to governing it. We hope this brief encourages policy leaders to fully understand this new AI frontier. We look forward to collaborating with partners across Europe to ensure these technologies best serve the public.”
In addition to Gerhard Schimpf, the co-authors of “Systemic Risks Associated with Agentic AI: A Policy Brief” include Alejandro Bellogín, Paolo Giudici, Stefan Larsson, Jun Pang, Biswa Sengupta, and Gürkan Solmaz.
About ACM Europe TPC
The ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee (ETPC) promotes dialogue and the exchange of ideas on technology and computing policy issues with the European Commission and other governmental bodies in Europe, as well as with the informatics and computing communities. The Europe TPC engages promotes sound public policy and public understanding of a broad range of issues at the intersection of technology and policy. Its policy statements reflect the expertise of ACM Europe Council professional members from the public and private sectors, who are experienced in informatics, computer science, and other computing-related fields.
About ACM
ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address the field's challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession's collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking.
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