The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, this month called for the “future of AI to be made in Europe” as she set out two new strategies for delivering on that ambition.
Accelerating the adoption of AI across all sectors and within the public sector is the focus of the Apply AI Strategy; while the AI in Science Strategy aims to make Europe the world leader in ‘AI-driven research and scientific excellence.’
Von der Leyen said: “I want the future of AI to be made in Europe. Because when AI is used, we can find smarter, faster, and more affordable solutions. AI adoption needs to be widespread, and with these strategies, we will help speed up the process. Putting AI first also means putting safety first. We will drive this ‘AI first’ mindset across all our key sectors, from robotics to healthcare, energy and automotive.”
The Commission will mobilise around €1 billion to put its’s Apply AI strategy into effect across the public and private sectors. It is a strategy that will also encourage businesses to embrace an ‘AI first’ policy, as part of a wider pledge to create societal benefits, from enhanced healthcare diagnoses to more easily accessible and efficient public services.
Later this month, the Commission will also announce its Data Union Strategy, linked to delivering ‘seamless access to high-quality data’, ahead of the introduction of an innovation that will go to the heart of the AI in Science Strategy, RAISE – the Resource for AI Science in Europe, a ‘virtual European institute to pool and coordinate AI resources for developing AI and applying it in science’.
And as part of its new raft of plans, the Commission is launching the Apply AI Alliance, a space where industry, the public sector, academia, social partners and civil society can come together to ‘coordinate action’.
Next month in Copenhagen, at the AI in Science Summit (3-4 November), an event co-organised by the Commission and the Danish Presidency, new initiatives, including the RAISE pilot, will be launched as part of the AI in science Strategy.
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