Artificial intelligence: a pillar of Europe’s future competitiveness

Questions surrounding the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) have been increasingly in the focus of policymakers at European level. In October 2017, the European Council called for the EU to develop a “sense of urgency to address emerging trends”, inviting the European Commission “to put forward a European approach to AI by early 2018”.

In anticipation of the Commission’s response to this request, Orgalime would like to contribute its views to the discussion. AI forms an integral part of the digitisation of the engineering and tech industries we represent. We are convinced that the EU approach to this future-facing technology should be founded on a recognition that AI – and in particular AI that is embedded in industrial and consumer products – will be a central pillar of Europe’s future competitiveness and its ability to address critical societal challenges.

To achieve this, Orgalime is making the following recommendations to policy makers:

• Clear definitions should be set at EU level as a prerequisite for designing an effective common EU policy framework
• Capital and R&D&I investments (using Horizon 2020 and the future FP9, as well as other relevant instruments) and education should be given priority to support Europe’s jump into this new era of industry’s development
• No hurried decisions should be made on the need to revise the existing regulatory framework, which is fit for purpose to address potential risks to workers, businesses and consumers that may be reasonably expected to arise from embedded AI applications
• The EU should create the preconditions for a meaningful debate on the ethical considerations around AI
• A better dialogue is required around social aspects of AI. Practical examples and data should be used to showcase the multiple benefits of embedded AI applications to society and job creation, to help ensure an informed discussion on AI’s impact on employment

Download the position paper for more detail on each of these points.