About: AI

Germany calls for tightened AI regulation at EU level

Four months after the European Commission presented its 'white paper' on Artificial Intelligence (AI), the German government said it broadly agrees with Brussels but sees a need to tighten up on security. The government is particularly concerned by the fact that only AI applications with "high risk" have to meet special requirements. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Vestager warns against predictive policing in Artificial Intelligence

Certain Artificial Intelligence application including forms of predictive policing are 'not acceptable' in the EU, the European Commission's Vice-President for Digital policy, Margarethe Vestager has said.

Stakeholders weigh in on EU’s future AI plans

A cross-section of stakeholders has responded to the EU's plans to build an ethical framework for the development and deployment of next-generation Artificial Intelligence technologies, highlighting concerns ranging from the use of biometric technology to the operation of Automated Decision Making (ADM) software.

MEPs chart path for a European approach to Artificial Intelligence

EU lawmakers debated the bloc's approach to regulating Artificial Intelligence technologies on Tuesday (12 May), in an effort to chart a path for how the EU will manage the onset of next-generation technologies.

Vestager: Facial recognition tech breaches EU data protection rules

The European Commission will take some time before deciding on how to legislate facial recognition remotely, but will not prevent national initiatives from moving ahead on their own, Commission vice-president Margrethe Vestager has said.

Germany’s CSU wants to increase monitoring of digital space

At a party retreat on 8 January, Germany's conservative Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) passed a resolution highlighting its ideas on digital policy. Although digital activists criticised the party's demands for increased monitoring of the digital space, they agreed with its approach to 5G expansion. EURACTIV Germany reports.

LEAK: Commission considers facial recognition ban in AI ‘white paper’

The European Commission is considering measures to impose a temporary ban on facial recognition technologies used by both public and private actors, according to a draft white paper on Artificial Intelligence obtained by EURACTIV. If implemented, the plans could throw...

Germany’s plans for automatic facial recognition meet fierce criticism

Germany's Interior Minister Horst Seehofer plans to use automatic facial recognition at 134 railway stations and 14 airports, according to a news report published on 3 January. Although official confirmation of the plan is still missing, an alliance between civil society and politicians has called for the banning of this surveillance technology. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Health professor: AI has huge potential, provided ethical issues can be solved

Radiology is at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI) in the healthcare sector, as it can help enhance the quality of diagnosis on the basis of knowledge acquired from other patients, said medical professor Boris Brkljačić.

Clear standards required for development and use of AI in healthcare

With digital technologies set to irrevocably change the face of our healthcare systems, the ethical concerns surrounding the use of artifical intelligence (AI) are increasingly gaining prominence in policy circles.

EU ‘data sovereignty’: opportunities and challenges

In November 2018, the European Commission presented its Digital Strategy, where it set the vision to become a ‘digitally transformed, user-focused and data-driven administration by 2022’.

EU needs to focus on legislation in the digital sphere, MEP Angelika Niebler says

The EU has proven to be successful in legislating in the digital age but it needs to keep up the work to avoid being left behind, because "the digital revolution has been moving faster than legislation", MEP Angelika Niebler (EPP, Germany) told EURACTIV in a written interview.

The role of ethics in artificial intelligence and data usage

The EU’s digital agenda for the next mandate will be marked by a series of broad-ranging reforms, from artificial intelligence and data protection to digital tax. However, the issue of ethics in the digital field continues to be at the centre of the debate, namely in regulating AI and data usage.

Defence ministers discussed artificial intelligence, killer robots, climate threat

EU defence ministers discussed artificial intelligence, autonomous weapons – also called “killer robots” –, hybrid threats and conflicts stemming from climate change, EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini told the press after an informal Council meeting in Helsinki on Thursday (29 August).

The Finnish EU presidency should push for a ‘fast lane’ for tech and AI

Boasting one of Europe’s most liberal and innovative economies, Finland's EU presidency has the chance to push for a ‘fast lane’ for tech and AI in Europe, and show Europe a way forward in the age of AI, writes Christian Walther Øyrabø.

Digital Brief: The return of the Digital Tax

French Parliamentarians today voted to approve plans that would see a 3% levy imposed on any digital company with revenues of more than €750 million, with €25m of that figure being generated in France. The green light came after some heavy pressure from US counterparts who attempted to sway the French.

Digital Brief: She hates the United States

Welcome to EURACTIV’s Digital Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU.

AI is ‘biggest change for society since printing revolution’, top expert says

Artificial Intelligence has taken huge strides in the last decade. It can now recognise faces, coordinate self-driving cars or even compose music. W. Brian Arthur talked to EURACTIV Germany about why AI is "an enormous change for our society" and why it is important to regulate it carefully.

‘Adverse impacts’ of Artificial Intelligence could pave way for regulation, EU report says

The EU should consider the need for new regulation to "ensure adequate protection from adverse impacts" in the field of Artificial Intelligence, a report published on Wednesday (26 June) by the Commission's High-Level Group on AI says.

AI-enabled facial recognition: More than just ethics?

Facial recognition technology has been advancing rapidly over the past decade and is starting to be common in more devices, more places and real time. The odds are that facial biometrical information is already being analysed regularly. While there are...

Google uses AI technology to boost wind energy efficiency

Google has boosted the value of the wind energy it produces by 20% after installing its own artificial intelligence (AI) software across its largest renewable energy facilities in the US. EURACTIV's media partner edie.net reports.

2019 LOOKAHEAD: Towards a ‘Techno-ethics’

2019 is likely to prove the dawn of a 'Techno-ethics' in which consumers will expect their rights to be respected in the digital realm as they are in everyday life and legislators will oblige tech giants to play by the same rules as the wider industry.