Commission launches consultation on ethics guidelines.

KB/SW – 01/2019

A human-centric approach

The European Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence (AI HLEG) published the first draft of its Ethics Guidelines for the development and use of artificial intelligence on 18 December 2018. Since June 2018, 52 experts from the sciences, industry and civil society have been meeting regularly to work out which ethical principles are needed to guarantee the trustworthy use of artificial intelligence in the EU in order to maximise the benefits of introducing new technologies while minimizing the risks. A human-centric approach to AI will enable Europe to become a world-leading innovator in ethical, secure and modern AI.

Artificial intelligence ‘Made in Europe’

The aim of ‘Trustworthy AI made in Europe’ is to improve the well-being of European citizens in times of rapid technological change. Trustworthy AI consists of two components: first, it should respect fundamental rights, ethical rules and values, and second, it should be technically robust and reliable. Major AI-enabled developments in autonomous vehicles, healthcare, home/service robots, education or cybersecurity are expected to improve the quality of our everyday lives (see article from 10/2018). AI is also the key to addressing many societal challenges, such as global health and climate change. The Expert Group says that artificial intelligence must be human-centric and respect fundamental rights in order to increase human well-being and the common good.

Consultation

In conjunction with the Ethics Guidelines, the Commission launched a public consultation, which is open until 1st of February. In March 2019, the Expert Group will submit its final guidelines to the Commission. These follow the Strategy adopted in April 2018 for artificial intelligence, the EU Commission’s Communication on the Coordinated Plan to develop and promote the use of AI in Europe with the Member States, and the Declaration of Cooperation on AI signed by 25 European countries. In addition, the EU’s multiannual financial framework 2021-2027 in the area of artificial intelligence will provide for investments of at least € 7 billion from the Horizon Europe and Digital Europe programmes.