AI means learning – Europe’s strategy for artificial intelligence
One important topic new MEPs will have to position themselves on is artificial intelligence (AI). That is why we explore the opportunities and challenges this technology entails. There is a lot of talk about the digital transformation, but what exactly does artificial intelligence mean to Europe? A review of Europe’s AI strategy.
“Whoever masters AI will rule the world!” – with these words, Russian President Vladimir Putin mapped out the dimension of this new technology. Many fears and hopes come along with artificial intelligence. Mentioning AI, many think of “Terminator”, HAL 900 from “A Space Odyssey” or E.M. Foster’s “The Machine Stops”. Briefly, AI is perceived as something super-intelligent, superior to the human mind.
It is important to understand first what artificial intelligence actually means. It is often described as the new Industrial Revolution, the second Machine Age. Contrary to the first Industrial Revolution, however, machines won’t replace muscle power but the power of thought. Put differently, the new machines learn from what they do and thereby become better at it. Unlike during the first Industrial Revolution, this change will also affect highly qualified people. The Job-Futuromat platform, designed by researchers at the Institute for Employment Research in Nuremberg, shows which jobs might be taken over by robots in the future.
The European Economic and Social Committee identified eleven areas where the technological upheaval will have significant consequences for society. These include questions of employment, democracy and – due to autonomous weapon systems – even questions of war and peace. Especially with regard to this potential, states like China have a great interest in becoming the global leader in AI. The European Union responded with its own approach to this topic. Its strategy can be divided into three areas: technological, social, and ethical considerations.
One thing is already becoming clear today: AI is a growing market of the future. Whilst in Asia nearly €10 billion and up to €20 billion in North America are invested in AI research, Europe lags behind with a budget of €3.2 billion. That is why the European Commission plans to invest an additional €1.5bn through its Horizon 2020 programme. Together with existing public-private partnerships and Member States’ national programmes, the available research budget is expected to be stepped up to €20bn.
Especially small and medium-sized enterprises struggle to access the possibilities of AI. Hence, the Commission plans an “AI on demand” platform, making a number of recent algorithms publicly available. Moreover, programmers will have better access to public data for scientific, social, and economic purposes. All this will be in combination with the setup of “AI Digital Innovation Hubs”, in which entrepreneurs will receive direct consultation on the deployment of AI systems.
Although digitalisation will affect all areas of the labour market, 44% of all European citizens do not have basic digital skills. According to the targets of the European Pillar of Social Rights, “everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning on order to maintain and acquire skills that enable them to participate fully in society and manage successfully transitions in the labour market.” (Article 1).
