Artificial Intelligence For Europe – An Overview

European Union’s policy on artificial intelligence focuses both on promoting the tech across various industries as well as safeguarding rights to safety and privacy

Just like the industrial revolution and the information technology boom, the next phase of growth will be powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Nations that develop advanced artificial intelligence systems should be able to perform better in ease of living and economic terms. Every country wants to be ahead in AI tech and the same is applicable for Europe as well.

Artificial intelligence for Europe

Europe is among the first to develop a detailed roadmap for implementation of AI. Here are some of the key aspects of artificial intelligence for Europe.

A hub for AI – Europe wants member countries to emerge as global hubs for AI. To make it possible, the European Commission has launched an AI innovation package. The funds and other support, as needed, will be provided to startups and SMEs that are focused on implementing AI-based systems. For example, European AI startups will be provided access to supercomputers that can be used to train new AI models.

A number of AI-dedicated supercomputers will be upgraded to enable faster training of large General Purpose AI (GPAI) models and machine learning systems. Efforts will be made to increase the use of AI among public and private users. The European Commission will ensure that startups and innovators have easy access to a one-stop shop for all their development and research needs.

Financial support – To promote the development of new AI systems, the European Commission will provide the necessary financial assistance. It will come via the Horizon Europe and the Digital Europe programme, which are focused on generative AI. Funds worth around €4 billion are expected to be made available by 2027.

Skills development – The European Commission will focus on initiatives that will ensure AI-relevant skills development, reskilling activities, education and training. This will ensure that development of new AI systems is not hampered by unavailability of skilled personnel.

Generate funds – The EU will focus on generating additional funds for AI development from various private and public investments sources. It will include equity support, venture capital, etc.

GenAI4EU initiative – This covers the increased use of AI in 14 of the top industry segments in Europe. Some of the key industries to benefit from AI in Europe include health, robotics, manufacturing, biotech, virtual worlds, climate and mobility.

Removing language barriers – Since Europe has different languages, it can reduce the speed of development of new AI systems. To fix that problem, the Alliance for Language Technologies’ (ALT-EDIC) has been launched. This entity will develop a common European infrastructure, centered around language technologies. It will fix any shortages in European languages data that may adversely impact the training of new AI systems. ALT-EDIC will also work to ensure that the linguistic and cultural diversity of Europe is maintained.

Protecting user’s fundamental rights

Artificial Intelligence for Europe will also focus on ensuring that user rights to privacy and safety is maintained in the age of artificial intelligence. The focus is on developing trustworthy and human-centric AI systems. To achieve that, the EU has established a dedicated legislation on the use of AI in Europe. You can read more about Europe AI Regulation by clicking this link.