EU Commissioner for Start-ups, Research, and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva, has emphasized the need for European independence in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) following the transition of power in the United States. “It is undoubtedly not good to be reliant on a single country, regardless of the technology in question. Therefore, we must now accelerate our work on economic independence in Europe and build strong European AI companies” she said in an interview with the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (Monday editions).
“It’s not too late to make Europe a leader in AI, but we must act now.” Zaharieva stressed the need for close cooperation, including with the United States. “AI is undoubtedly the big theme of the day. I would, however, caution against pouring all funds into this area” she said. “For our economic security, our prosperity, and our competitiveness, it is extremely important to develop all necessary technologies that we currently need to support our industry. This has priority.”
The commissioner also described AI as a “game-changer” for medicine and science, cautioning that “AI saves researchers years of work, but must be operated with reliable data that is always checked by humans.