AI for Everyone? by Pieter Verdegem

Author:Pieter Verdegem
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781914386145
Publisher: University of Westminster Press

Developing AI in Europe

The journey to develop the AI strategy in the EU started in 2018, when the European Commission presented the ‘Declaration of Cooperation on AI’ now signed by all 28 Member States, including Norway. In the Declaration, Member States agree to a continuous dialogue to work together towards ‘a comprehensive and integrated European approach on AI and, where needed, review and modernise national policies to ensure that the opportunities arising from AI are seized and the emerging challenges addressed’ (EU Declaration 2018: 4).

The AI strategy is developed within the context and legislative packages of the Digital Single Market Strategy developed by the EC that include the European Data Economy initiatives, the General Data Protection Directive and, crucially, the European Cloud Initiative. The latter aims to ‘make it easier for researchers, businesses and public services to fully exploit the benefits of Big Data by making it possible to move, share and re-use data seamlessly across global markets and borders, and among institutions and research disciplines’ (European Cloud initiative 2019).

On 7 December 2018 the European Commission published a coordinated action plan on the development of AI in the EU (European Commission 2018a, 2018b). It pledged to increase its annual investments in AI by 70% under the research and innovation programme Horizon, in order to reach EUR 1.5 billion for the period 2018–2020. In its Communication (European Commission 2018a) the European Commission (EC) reaffirms the belief that ‘AI will help us to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges’, from treating chronic diseases and reducing fatality rates in traffic accidents to fighting climate change and anticipating cybersecurity threats (European Commission 2018a, 2). Therefore, the EC put forward a European approach to artificial intelligence based on three pillars:

• connect and strengthen AI research centres across Europe;

• support the development of an ‘AI-on-demand platform’ that will provide access to relevant AI resources in the EU for all users;

• support the development of AI applications in key sectors (European Commission 2018b, 1).

In order to support the development of the AI strategies summarised here, the EC established two advisory entities: The High-Level Expert Group on AI (HLEG); and the European AI Alliance. The High-Level Expert Group on AI is charged with developing proposals for the overall EU’s AI strategy, policy and priorities. It comprises 23 members from industry, 19 from academia and 10 from civil society; and it is further divided into two working groups: one on ethics; and one on investment and policy. The second advisory entity, the European AI Alliance, is a multi-stakeholder online platform. On the platform, EU members can contribute to ongoing discussions on Al, feeding into the European Commission’s policy-making processes. The European AI Alliance is conceived as a tool open to all members of society. Currently, it is composed of members from civil society, trade unions, companies, not-for-profit institutions and consumer organisations.

In the first year after its creation in June 2018, the HLEG released two major policy documents forming the basis of the latest White Paper on AI, adopted in 2020.

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