Time to shake hands: the EU and US agree on innovative steps for AI
Good news! The US and the EU have just signed a new administrative agreement committing to Artificial Intelligence for the public good.?
Its aim is to foster cohesion and collaboration among US and EU experts to further research AI, computing and privacy-protecting technologies.
“Based on common values and interests, EU and US researchers will join forces to develop societal applications of AI and will work with other international partners for a truly global impact.” - Thierry Breton, EU Internal Market Commissioner.
In the White House statement, the US stated its hope that this approach will extend beyond the two economic blocs and have a wider impact on the scientific community worldwide.?
It will bolster AI advancements through five key focus areas:
As well as improving government use of AI, it will allow the US and EU to find common ground in measuring levels of trustworthiness and risk management in AI systems.?
This agreement is another step towards implementing the commitments in the EU Declaration for the Future of the Internet. Its goal is to create a free, open and secure online ecosystem that respects and protects fundamental human rights.
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With this new approach comes access to the most important component for improving AI systems - data.?
Large, rich and diverse datasets are the key to building AI systems that are representative, logical, and fair.?
Since Schrems II, data flows between the EU and particularly the US have been a topic of contention. Fortunately, this agreement seeks to solve this issue by building data sets from both states, while the data remains localised. They can train AI models lucratively, whilst still reaping the rewards from rich sources of data.?
This will help spot problems where AI can be used for the better. Our global community is suffering from the implications of climate change, extreme weather conditions, global health threats, and more socio-economic challenges. Taking a collaborative effort to tackle some of these pressing issues using emerging technology is key.?
The adoption of AI has more than doubled over the last 5 years, with many of AI’s advancements coming from the private sector. The EU is already making strides to regulate AI through the upcoming EU AI Act, which will take a risk-based approach to how AI systems are monitored.
But the public needs to be confident that if AI continues to develop at this pace and level of sophistication, they will see a benefit.?
Public surveys have found that a common fear over the use of AI is that the benefits are not going to be distributed fairly or equally. That their data will be surrendered to further these models for private gain - with no safeguards or protections guaranteed.?
A recent CISCO study on privacy found that 60% of consumers are concerned with how organisations apply and use AI, with 65% having already lost trust in the AI practices of organisations.?
92% of respondents thought that organisations need to do more to reassure that their data is being used for intended purposes.?
This new partnership is novel in that it looks to encourage responsible AI innovation. It will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government operations, distributing the benefits beyond the commercial needs of the private sector. Having commonly recognised standards of human rights and privacy protection through regulating these systems will be key to bolstering public trust and attitudes toward AI.?