Trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI)
Trustworthy AI can bring many benefits, such as
- better healthcare
- safer and cleaner transport
- more efficient manufacturing
- cheaper and more sustainable energy
The EU’s approach to AI will give people the confidence to embrace these technologies and encourage businesses to develop them.
Benefits of AI
The EU has the potential to become the global leader in safe AI. By developing a strong regulatory framework based on human rights and fundamental values, the EU can develop an AI system that benefit people, businesses and governments.
- Citizens
Better healthcare, safer and cleaner transport, and improved public services
- Businesses
Innovative products and services, for example in energy, security, healthcare; higher productivity and more efficient manufacturing
- Governments
Cheaper and more sustainable services such as transport, energy and waste management
Artificial intelligence can help find solutions to many of society’s problems. This can only be achieved if the technology is of high quality, and is developed and used in ways that earns people’s trust. Therefore, a strategic framework based on EU values will give citizens the confidence to accept AI-based solutions, while encouraging businesses to develop and deploy them.
This is why the European Commission has proposed a set of actions to boost excellence in AI, and rules to ensure that the technology is trustworthy:
![A person shaking a robot's hand](https://commission.europa.eu/sites/default/files/styles/oe_theme_medium_no_crop/public/2021-04/robot_ai.png?itok=X_NWjP8_)
- Proposed by the Commission in April 2021, and agreed by the European Parliament and the Council in December 2023, the AI Act will address potential risks to the health, safety, and fundamental rights of citizens while supporting the development of innovative and responsible AI in the EU.
- Together with the AI Act, the update of the Coordinated Plan on AI is guaranteeing the safety and fundamental rights of people and businesses, while strengthening investment and innovation across EU countries.
- The Commission has also launched an AI innovation package to support European start-ups and SMEs in the development of trustworthy AI that respects EU values and rules.
Building trust through the first-ever legal framework on AI
The EU's AI Act is the first-ever comprehensive legal framework on artificial intelligence worldwide. It will make sure that AI systems used in the EU are safe, transparent, ethical, unbiased and under human control. Therefore they are categorised by risk:
Unacceptable risk
Anything considered a clear threat to EU citizens will be banned: from social scoring by governments to toys using voice assistance that encourages dangerous behaviour of children.
High risk
- Critical infrastructures (e.g. transport), that could put the life and health of citizens at risk
- Educational or vocational training, that may determine the access to education and professional course of someone’s life (e.g. scoring of exams)
- Safety components of products (e.g. AI application in robot-assisted surgery)
- Employment, management of workers and access to self-employment (e.g. CV sorting software for recruitment procedures)
- Essential private and public services (e.g. credit scoring denying citizens opportunity to obtain a loan)
- Law enforcement that may interfere with people’s fundamental rights (e.g. evaluation of the reliability of evidence)
- Migration, asylum and border control management (e.g. automated examination of visa applications)
- Administration of justice and democratic processes (e.g. AI solutions to search for court rulings)
High-risk AI systems will be carefully assessed before being put on the market and throughout their lifecycle.
Limited risk
AI systems such as chatbots are subject to minimal transparency obligations, intended to allow those interacting with the content to make informed decisions. The user can then decide to continue or step back from using the application.
Minimal risk
Free use of applications such as AI-enabled video games or spam filters. The vast majority of AI systems currently used in the EU fall into this category where the new rules do not intervene as these systems represent only minimal or no risk for citizen’s rights or safety.
- Step 1
A high-risk AI system is developed
- Step 2
It needs to undergo the conformity assessment and comply with AI requirements. For some systems a notified body is involved.
- Step 3
Registration of stand-alone AI systems in an EU database
- Step 4
A declaration of conformity needs to be signed and the AI system should bear the CE marking. The system can be placed on the market
If substantial changes happen in the AI system's lifecycle, go back to Step 2.
Once an AI system is on the market, authorities are in charge of the market surveillance, deployers ensure human oversight and monitoring, while providers have a post-market monitoring system in place. Providers and deployers will also report serious incidents and malfunctioning.
Boosting excellence in AI
In 2018, the Commission and EU Member States took the first step by joining forces through a Coordinated Plan on AI that helped lay the ground for national strategies and policy developments.
The 2021 update of the Coordinated Plan on AI has brought strategy into action and is aligned with the Commission’s digital and green twin priorities, as well as Europe’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Fostering AI excellence from the lab to the market, the Coordinated Plan has put forward a vision to accelerate investments in AI, to act on AI strategies for their timely implementation and to align AI policies EU-wide.
As part of these efforts, the Commission plans to set up:
- A Public-Private Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, Data and Robotics to define, implement and invest in a common strategic research innovation and deployment agenda for Europe
- Additional Networks of AI Excellence Centres to foster exchange of knowledge and expertise, develop collaboration with industry and foster diversity and inclusion
- Testing and Experimentation Facilities to experiment and test state-of-the-art technology in real-world environments
- Digital Innovation Hubs, one-stop shops to provide access to technical expertise and experimentation, so that companies can "test before invest"
- An AI-on-demand Platform as a central European toolbox of AI resources (e.g. expertise, algorithms, software frameworks, development tools) needed for industry and public sector uses
EU-funded projects in AI
The EU has already funded a variety of AI projects offering solutions in all areas of society, from agriculture to healthcare, manufacturing, or transport.
Three examples of areas where the use of AI technology has been particularly beneficial are health, environment and in the fight against disinformation.
- Neuro-rehabilitation assisting recovery of COVID-19 intensive care patients
The CDAC project, contributed to the development and clinical validation of innovative technologies that have already been used for the rehabilitation of over 3,000 stroke patients across Europe.
- Smart sensors to help feed growing world population
The ANTARES project is developing smart sensor and big data technologies that could help farmers produce more food in a way that is sustainable for society, farm incomes and the environment.
- Online tools for fact-checking and debunking
WeVerify provides verification systems such as plugin that can help fact-checkers, journalists, human rights activists and citizens to debunk and fact-check videos and images online.
- €1 billion
The Commission plan to invest €1 billion per year in AI from its Digital Europe and Horizon Europe programmes.
- €20 billion
The aim is to attract more than €20 billion of total investment in AI per year in the EU over this decade. The Recovery and Resilience Facility will help speeding up investments and go beyond this aim.
- > 25%
of all industrial and personal service robots are produced in Europe.
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