To reduce reliance on US and China artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, the European Union is working on its ‘Apply AI’ strategy. This will allow the EU to better protect its safety, develop resilience, and grow industrial competitiveness. Finally, the European Union will be able to develop and deploy its own AI technology solutions.
Key objectives of the ‘Apply AI’ strategy and the reduction of AI reliance
As reported by The Financial Times, the European Commission aims to remove reliance on foreign providers of AI technology and build European core AI technologies.
Such aims stem from reliance on an AI technologies stack (software, hardware, and infrastructure) controlled by foreign and international actors, which poses a significant risk to Europe’s supply chain and digital sovereignty.
The strategy to be presented by Henna Virkkunen, Europe’s technology chief, manifests the EU’s ambition to be the first in the world to offer secure and trusted AI technology instead of passively importing foreign AI innovations.
EU commissioner for internal markets, Thierry Breton, says:
“Europe must lead in trustworthy AI. We cannot afford to be passive consumers of technologies developed elsewhere.”
Targeted sectors for AI deployment with the EU
Under the ‘Apply AI’ strategy, Europe will actively promote AI applications in certain priority sectors:
- Healthcare: AI will improve patient care, assist in diagnostics, and streamline hospital administration.
- Defense: The EU intends to create AI-assisted battlefield command and control systems and aid national security systems.
- Manufacturing: AI systems will be used to automate tasks and control workflows to enhance productivity and increase competitiveness in the industry.
The selection of these sectors was influenced both by their strategic significance and by the opportunity to demonstrate the unique value of European AI technology in high-impact, real-life applications.
The European Commission intends to finance the rollout of the ‘Apply AI’ strategy by mobilizing €1 billion from its existing funding programs.
This also means getting public and private funds for European AI technology and assisting European startups, research institutions, and industries with AI development.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, mentioned that Europe should accelerate its adoption, or else it will lose its competitive place, and technology base, and risk the generation of European sustainable innovation on the continent.
The ‘Apply AI’ strategy also seeks to resolve the risks from foreign AI systems
The European Union wants to promote solutions where the Union’s digital system is secure, opaque, and devoid of European values.
AI approaches focus on the creation of multi-sector interoperable ethical systems, cross-sector interoperable ethical, privacy-preserving AI systems, transparency, collaborative trust-building innovation and, open-source models.
When it comes to the implementation of the strategy, the EU has challenges on the horizon. For example, the EU-based technology companies have fewer resources and less scale compared to their American and Chinese competitors.
Additionally, market fragmentation within member states can be a barrier to the rapid adoption of the strategy.
The strategy attempts to resolve the challenges through better coordinated national governments, streamlined funding process, and cohesive governance of AI from the European Union. The strategy is likely to succeed or fail based on the EU’s ability to be resourceful, collaborative, and proactive about the AI future of Europe.
The ‘Apply AI’ strategy is a turning point that the European Union has been waiting to implement for its digital transformation. For the first time, Europe is able to invest in and control the AI technology it uses, decreasing its reliance on imported AI. Even with the many challenges ahead, the strategy shows Europe’s dedication to innovative digital transformation and the leadership it will take to implement AI ethically and securely.