In a recent State of the Union address, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Union, announced an initiative designed to expedite access to European supercomputers for artificial intelligence (AI) startups. The announcement, which came as part of a broader discussion on the regulatory environment surrounding AI, underscores the EU’s determination to seize the opportunities presented by this rapidly evolving technology.
The initiative supports Europe’s move to stimulate innovation in the AI sector. The president referenced an open letter sent by global AI community members that warned of the potential for “extinction from AI”. This striking imagery underscores the urgent need for responsible governance. In response, von der Leyen proposed a “new global framework for AI”, built on three pillars: guardrails, governance, and guiding innovation.
her words, AI is a general technology, adaptable for a diverse range of uses, and it’s evolving faster than its developers anticipated. The sector needs guardrails, a blueprint to ensure that AI technology is developed and used responsibly. The creation of a governance council, akin to the International Panel on Climate Change, was also proposed. Crucially, the final pillar of guiding innovation, an initiative to fast-track access to Europe’s supercomputers was unveiled. The goal is to give AI startups the computational power they need to train models and conduct research.
However, while Europe has been recognized as a leader in supercomputing, there lies a dichotomy between rapid technological advancement and the need for ethical considerations. As much as the plan sounds optimistic, a balance has to be struck between technological evolution and responsible governance, raising questions about the potential challenges of enforcing ethical standards across different regional and national contexts.
President von der Leyen praised US technology companies that have voluntarily adopted AI ethics standards and called for a minimum global standard for the safe and ethical use of AI. It remains to be seen whether tech companies globally will rise to this call for voluntary self-regulation. It also remains to be seen if this global standard will find acceptance in a rapidly innovating and competitive global tech market.
Bottom line, Europe is striving to strike the balance between fuelling the rapid pace of AI development, and ensuring the industry evolves with careful consideration of ethical and safety standards. Dynamism and good governance don’t always make comfortable bedfellows, and steering such a delicate balance on a global stage may prove challenging. Yet, given the potential upside and downside of AI development, aiming for anything less won’t suffice.
Source: Cointelegraph
