Digital Transparency
Companies applying the EU AI Act are protecting the environment from harm: the environment of your personal information.
Gianni Dell'Aiuto | WBN News Global - WBN News | September 8, 2025
When scientists model ecosystems, the difference between black-box and white-box approaches is crucial. A black-box model hides the mechanisms: it may describe outcomes, but the underlying processes remain invisible, leading to errors and paradoxes. A white-box model, by contrast, is transparent. It shows how every element interacts, allowing us to understand and protect the system.
The same principle applies to data protection and artificial intelligence. Just as environmental science demands transparency to protect biodiversity, the EU AI Act demands transparency to protect people’s data and rights—especially when automated profiling is involved. If black-box algorithms are allowed to operate unchecked, they pollute the digital ecosystem with opacity and bias. Transparent, explainable systems are the equivalent of clean air and water: they make trust and accountability possible.
This is not a coincidence. The European legislator was probably aware of the environmental analogy when drafting the EU AI Act. The law is built on three pillars that mirror the logic of ecological protection:
- Transparency: Just as ecosystems require clear data to monitor their health, AI systems must be explainable and traceable. No hidden mechanisms.
- Accountability: Environmental laws demand that polluters answer for their impact. The AI Act does the same with providers, who must prove compliance and bear responsibility.
- Sustainability: Protecting nature means ensuring resources for future generations. In the digital sphere, it means building AI that fosters trust, fairness, and long-term reliability.
By translating the environmental ethos into the digital domain, the EU has positioned the AI Act not as red tape, but as a framework for survival in a data-driven world.
This is exactly what those who design algorithms, systems, and AI processes must keep in mind: they manipulate and manage people. And people may get angry if they discover they have been secretly profiled or nudged by opaque and excessive systems. Transparency is not just a legal requirement—it is a survival strategy for digital trust.
Imagine something simple: a hotel chatbot. A guest asks whether the hotel provides gluten-free meals or accessibility for disabilities. Who stores that data? For the guest, this is intimate information. If such a small interaction deserves clarity, imagine what happens when AI processes massive volumes of personal data across finance, healthcare, or employment.
And then the question grows sharper: if the data remain with the hotel, who inside the organization can see them? Are they accessible to the IT team, to the software vendor, or even to the company that built the chatbot? Privacy is not a single wall—it is a chain, and every weak link can break the protection of the individual.
That is why the EU AI Act insists on explainability and accountability. It is not about slowing down innovation. It is about ensuring that digital ecosystems remain healthy, just as environmental law ensures that natural ecosystems survive. Companies must learn this lesson quickly.
In today’s economy, digital trust is not a slogan; it is the most valuable currency they hold.
Tags: #EU AI Act, #Digital Transparency, #AI Ethics, #Accountability, #Data Trust, #Explainable AI, #Digital Sustainability, #Privacy Protection
Gianni Dell’Aiuto is an Italian attorney with over 35 years of experience in legal risk management, data protection, and digital ethics. Based in Rome and proudly Tuscan, he advises businesses globally on regulations like the GDPR, AI Act, and NIS2. An author and frequent commentator on legal innovation, he helps companies turn compliance into a competitive edge while promoting digital responsibility. Click here to connect with him.
Editor: Wendy S. Huffman
Members Discussion