On January 13, the Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age (AIDA) committee at the European Parliament proposed a possible road map for Europe to reap the benefits of artificial intelligence, urging member states and the European Commission to consider it.
AIDA is a special committee at the EU Parliament working on the Artificial Intelligence Act proposed by the European Commission last year. The committee has worked on more than 1,000 amendments to the original text, and it works closely with Members of the European Parliament and the European Commission to have a more consensual version before the proposal goes to Parliament for a vote.
Axel Voss, the rapporteur of this committee, said that “we have to be aware that AI is of extremely strategic relevance, the EU is falling behind in the global tech race and if it wants to remain an economic and global power, it should become a global power in AI.”
In its report, AIDA called for urgent action by Member states and the European Commission to adopt defined clear policy recommendations for the next years. One of the first suggestions is a favorable regulatory environment established by dynamic law-making and modern governance.
“Current regulatory frameworks, both on EU and Member State level, are too fragmented, too ponderous and do not provide for legal certainty. Thus, it is necessary to speed up and streamline legislative and governance processes when it comes to digital policy,” the report said.
The report suggests that although regulation is necessary, “only high-risk AI applications need to be strictly regulated in order to achieve leeway for innovation and avoid regulatory burden. Moreover, AI is entirely dependent on high-quality data. Current frameworks do not provide for timely access and sufficient sharing of data, which needs to be revised and extended.”
Other proposals in the report focus on how to achieve an ecosystem of AI excellence. This includes the digital infrastructure, deployment of broadband and 5G technology and quantum computing. Yet, given the limitations of the region in some of these areas compared to the two world leaders, U.S. and China, the report emphasizes the need to educate people to acquire digital and AI skills at all stages of education and employment.
“Our best ideas, talent and companies” are going elsewhere, according to the report. Voss warned that the window of opportunity is closing, saying the EU needs to “concentrate, prioritize, invest.”
AIDA’s next meeting will take place on February 10 in what could be one of its last meetings before concluding its work on the AI Act and starting the debate in the EU Parliament.
The work of this committee may start to have the first results on the legislative front. On January 25, the Internal Market and Civil Liberties committees, which are permanent and important committees at the EU Parliament, had their first joint exchange of views on the proposed Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act). This was the kick-off of parliamentary work on the AI Act proposal.
The road to get the AI Act passed is still long, especially given the complexity of this issue and the number of amendments that are expected. The bill may be ready for discussion in parliament in the second half of 2022, but a final approval isn’t likely until year-end at the earliest.
Read More: Global AI Regulation Could Come in 2022 With Broad Principles
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