EU promotes sovereign, trusted AI as it struggles to catch US and China

EU promotes sovereign, trusted AI as it struggles to catch US and China

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At an international AI summit in Dublin, EU leaders promoted trusted and independent artificial intelligence. Critics question whether the bloc can close the gap with the US and China while maintaining strict regulation.

Former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said recently that AI is "perhaps the most promising" route the EU has to raise growth today. However, he decried the fact that the European Union controls little of the value chain.

The summit's motto, "Harnessing AI to Revolutionize Europe's Competitiveness," was echoed by Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, who made it clear that Ireland was all in on AI. He emphasized the bloc's commitment to safety and mitigating risks.

The European Commission executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, Henna Virkkunen, revealed that the EU had begun its first enforcement actions under its new AI Act, requesting information around security and safety from advanced AI model providers.

However, other topics that concern AI's many critics, from those fearing the massive environmental impact of data centers to others warning about possible AI-related job losses, were largely absent from the discussions.