BRUSSELS, May 21 (Reuters) - Europe's landmark rules on

artificial intelligence will enter into force next month after

EU countries endorsed on Tuesday a political deal reached in

December, setting a potential global benchmark on guardrails for

a technology used in almost every facet of life and business.

The AI Act is more comprehensive than the United States'

light-touch voluntary compliance approach while China's approach

aims to maintain social stability and state control.

The vote by European Union countries came two months after

EU lawmakers backed the AI legislation drafted by the European

Commission in 2021 after making a number of key changes.

Concerns about AI contributing to misinformation, fake news

and copyrighted material have intensified globally in recent

months amid the growing popularity of generative AI systems such

as Microsoft ( MSFT )-backed OpenAI's ChatGPT, and Google's

chatbot Gemini.

"This landmark law, the first of its kind in the world,

addresses a global technological challenge that also creates

opportunities for our societies and economies," Belgian

digitisation minister Mathieu Michel said in a statement.

"With the AI act, Europe emphasizes the importance of trust,

transparency and accountability when dealing with new

technologies while at the same time ensuring this fast-changing

technology can flourish and boost European innovation," he said.