- Posted 12-Oct-2020
Artificial intelligence in the EU: Regions and cities want to have their say
Regions and cities are pivotal in building trust and investment in artificial intelligence (AI), the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) points out in an opinion drafted by Guido Rink (NL/PES), Member of the Executive Council of Emmen.
Regions and cities highlight the potential of AI in addressing societal challenges: for example, during the Covid-19 pandemic it has been helping doctors and researchers to diagnose patients, assess risks and prevent hospitals from becoming overburdened.
The European Commission has published a White Paper on Artificial Intelligence as part of its digital strategy for 2020-2025. The CoR shares the Commission's view that AI should be developed and used in a way that is human-centred, ethical and secure. However, it calls for the full acknowledgement of the role of regional and local authorities in promoting the development and uptake of AI and in regulating its ethical aspects.
The CoR opinion calls for significant EU support to stimulate private and public investment in AI, using resources from the Digital Europe Programme, Horizon Europe and the European Structural and Investment Funds to meet the needs of local and regional ecosystems. It also highlights the importance of ensuring level playing field in the European market, so that also small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups can benefit from AI.
As the existing EU legislative framework is not specifically tailored to AI applications, the opinion points out that there are currently some gaps in the law. Particular attention must be paid to high-risk applications, such as biometric identification, to avoid discrimination and stigmatisation of individuals and populations. Moreover, AI-specific rules should ensure easy and reliable sharing and re-use of data between businesses and public authorities especially when it can serve the public interest, such as in the case of the Covid-19 pandemic or when it comes to regulating platform economy.
Source: European Committee of the Regions News (https://bit.ly/33Otitt)