EU To Launch Grand Plan For AI

The European Union is set to release new regulations for artificial intelligence that are expected to focus on transparency and oversight as the region seeks to differentiate its approach from those of the United States and China, reported Bloomberg.

On Wednesday, February 19, EU technology chief Margrethe Vestager will unveil a wide-ranging plan designed to bolster the region’s competitiveness. While transformative technologies such as AI have been labeled critical to economic survival, Europe is perceived as slipping behind the US, where development is being led by tech giants with deep pockets, and China, where the central government is leading the push.

The strategy “will produce and deploy much more artificial intelligence” in Europe, but “it will not be the same” as in the US and China, Vestager said in a press briefing to journalists ahead of the announcement. Based on what she knows about their practices, Chinese AI might not meet European standards, she said.

Artificial intelligence has started to penetrate every part of society, from shopping suggestions and voice assistants to decisions around hiring, insurance, and law enforcement, provoking concerns about privacy, accuracy, safety, and fairness. The EU wants to ensure technology deployed in Europe is transparent and has human oversight, particularly for high-risk cases.

In situations where the use of AI could pose risks to people’s safety or their legal or employment status, such as those involving self-driving cars or biometric identification, the EU’s requirements could include implementing conformity checks by public authorities, Vestager said.

Full Content: Bloomberg

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