The rise of large language models (LLMs) like Open AI ChatGPT and Google BARD has significantly transformed search engine optimization (SEO). This wave of transformation is accompanied by fast-emerging new regulatory guidelines. The soon-to-be-adopted European Union's Artificial Intelligence Act (EU AI Act) is one of the biggest game-changers and understanding it can be instrumental in optimizing SEO for LLMs.
This article untangles the tech jargon and the implications for SEO on LLMs.
A New Law in Town: The EU AI Act
The EU AI Act is the world's first comprehensive law on AI, aiming to regulate AI use within the EU. It's all about ensuring that AI systems are safe, transparent, and fair while being environmentally friendly. And yes, they want humans to have the final say, not machines. The law classifies AI systems into different risk levels, with each level requiring different degrees of regulation:
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Banned AI: These are the bad guys. The Act outright bans AI systems posing an unacceptable risk to people's safety. This includes systems used for social scoring (classifying people based on their behavior or personal traits), real-time and remote biometric identification systems, and others that are considered too risky. So, no AI systems encouraging kids to juggle knives, please!
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High-Risk AI: These AI systems can negatively impact safety or fundamental rights. They include AI used in products covered by the EU's product safety legislation and in certain specified areas.
The European Parliament legislators made sure to include systems that could significantly harm people’s health, safety, or fundamental rights, or the environment. They also included AI systems used to influence voters and the outcome of elections, and recommender systems used by large social media platforms. -
Generative AI: Generative AI systems like ChatGPT, come with a few strings attached. They have to disclose when content is AI-generated, ensure they don't generate illegal content, and publish summaries of copyrighted data used for training.
The providers of [[foundation models](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_models#:~:text=A%20foundation%20model%20(also%20called,wide%20range%20of%20downstream%20tasks.)], a new and quickly evolving field in AI, have to assess and mitigate possible risks and register their models in the EU database before they can enter the EU market. -
Limited Risk AI: AI systems need to comply with minimal transparency requirements, allowing users to make informed decisions about whether they wish to continue using them.
While the Act aims to regulate AI use, it's also pro-innovation. The European Parliament legislators added exemptions for research activities and AI components provided under open-source licenses. They also promoted the idea of regulatory sandboxes, real-life environments established by public authorities to test AI before it goes live. On top of that, they're also ensuring that the public has a say in it all granting the right to file complaints about AI systems and receive explanations of decisions based on high-risk AI systems that significantly impact fundamental rights.
SEO on LLM: Navigating the New Norms
What does this mean for SEO on LLM?
The Act certainly places a lot of emphasis on transparency and user awareness, which means SEO strategies will need to adapt.
This requires ensuring that all “prompt engineering” used to generate content is compliant with emerging regulations.
Optimizing keywords is not enough anymore. Increasing content discoverability now requires understanding the interplay between AI, user experience, and the law. The soon-to-be-adopted EU AI Act is likely to be followed by more such regulations across the globe, as was the case with GDPR regulations.
SEO on LLM: Practical advice
While legislators are busy drafting laws to limit the potential negative impact of LLMs on society, there are some generic strategies that can already be implemented today to prevent sinking into the abyss of undiscoverable content.
Check out my article:Mastering SEO in the Era of Large Language Models: Evolving Tactics for LLM-Powered Search Engines for more on recommended techniques and make sure to use them in a way that is compatible with upcoming regulations.