Draft EU Digital Fairness Act would require companies to let adults disable addictive features and curb AI relationship‑simulation systems
| Source: Techmeme | Original article
The EU’s draft Digital Fairness Act would require companies to let adults disable addictive features and would target AI systems that simulate relationships.
The European Union is moving to tighten control over digital products with a draft called the Digital Fairness Act. According to Bloomberg, the proposal would obligate online services to give adult users a clear option to switch off “addictive” features – the design elements that keep people scrolling, liking or watching for longer than intended. In addition, the text sets out a specific focus on artificial‑intelligence systems that simulate personal relationships, such as chat‑bots or virtual companions, and would subject those tools to new regulatory scrutiny.
The measure arrives amid growing concern that platform design and increasingly human‑like AI are eroding users’ ability to manage their own time and emotional wellbeing. By forcing companies to provide an opt‑out, the EU hopes to give consumers more agency and to curb the commercial incentives that drive “sticky” product loops. Targeting relationship‑simulating AI also signals a broader intent to address emerging forms of digital manipulation, a topic that has been largely unregulated until now.
What follows will be watched closely by the tech sector. Lawmakers will need to define what counts as an “addictive” feature and set the technical standards for disabling it. Companies are likely to lobby for clearer guidelines and may challenge the draft in court, as they did with earlier EU rules such as the Digital Services Act. The next steps include parliamentary debate, impact assessments and, if approved, a rollout timetable that could reshape product roadmaps for social‑media giants and AI developers alike.
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