Year: 2019
Through bold investments and by acting in a coordinated and focused way, Europe should play a role in the area of AI that matches its economic weight. Only through deepened cooperation in pursuit of a common goal can the EU challenge major actors, such as the United States and China. If the EU wants to build on its strong R&D in AI as well as its technological tradition it should support efforts to organise networks of European centres of excellence and build crossborder world class testing facilities. The question where the public bodies should influence research and companies is still of the utmost importance.
However, the fundamental research is most often financed from public sources and private research organisations are still very rare in the field of AI in Europe. Therefore, the EU should focus on building the true AI research superhubs based both on cooperation with the top researchers across Europe and the involvement of top researchers from all member states. The private resources and investments will be attracted to build a full-scale ecosystem around these research centres if the EU will adopt the right policies.