Artificial intelligence: room for innovation – or protection from misuse?

The EU is a pioneer in consumer and data protection. At the same time, it does not want to be left behind in the development of future technologies. The regulation of artificial intelligence shows a typical European dilemma.

Artificial intelligence is now used everywhere: for texts, images and videos on the Internet; for surveillance in public spaces; in hospitals, in customer service, in the evaluation of climate, geo and financial data.

Europe is the first continent to have established rules for this. It is truly pioneering work. When the EU Parliament gave the green light to the law on artificial intelligence (AI) in the spring, people were intoxicated with themselves: “Europe has delivered! No ifs, no buts, no hesitation – these are the AI ​​rules,” said Romanian Dragos Tudorache, one of the negotiators.

Answers had to be found to questions that are not yet known in concrete terms – and yet are addressed in hundreds of pages of small print. Overall, it is a good law that responds to the challenges of the times and answers the most pressing questions, says Sergey Lagodinsky of the Greens, who was also involved in the negotiations.

Surveillance in public spaces?

One of these pressing questions is the extent to which artificial intelligence can be used for surveillance in public spaces. Many EU countries have wanted extensive options – and have received them. Real-time surveillance and facial recognition are permitted within limits if specific people are being sought in cases of serious crimes or acute terrorist threats.

From the point of view of the FDP negotiator in the European Parliament, Svenja Hahn, this goes too far and must be closely monitored: “For our democratic and economic future, we must continue to work to ensure that governments do not misuse artificial intelligence for surveillance. And equally, that AI progress and innovations have a home in Europe.”

This is the second core element of the AI ​​law: Europe should finally benefit more from the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence, be it for solutions to the shortage of skilled workers or climate change or for digitalization. Corresponding developments and future technologies should be promoted.

It is a difficult balancing act. Whether it has been successful is a matter of opinion depending on the party affiliation.

“Think more European”

But there is agreement on one thing: more than any other EU law, this one will have to be continually adapted and expanded in the future.

CDU MEP Axel Voss puts it this way: “We should not believe that our work ends with this law. Unlike with other laws, we must find answers and adjustments to problems and developments more quickly.”

The EU will also have to be judged on the question of whether groundbreaking technologies and products such as ChatGPT can also be developed in Europe. Speed ​​is now crucial, says Franziska Teubert, Managing Director of the German Start-up Association: “In order to keep up with the USA and China, we need European tech champions.” To achieve this, we need to think and act less nationally and more Europeanly.

At least European companies and start-ups now have some guidance if they want to build their own applications on large AI base models. The AI ​​law requires greater transparency for these applications, the more risk they entail.

Promise of infrastructure

In addition, the EU, as Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promises, will provide access to supercomputers, i.e. the necessary data capacities to train, develop and test AI systems.

“This is similar to what Microsoft is doing for ChatGPT by training on its own supercomputers,” explains von der Leyen. “We will also put common European data spaces at the service of start-ups and make huge amounts of data available in all EU languages. Because AI should also be there for all those who do not speak English.”

This is how both regulation and promotion of artificial intelligence should take shape – according to European ideas.