European Commissioner for Start-ups, Research, and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva, has emphasized the need for European independence in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency. “It’s definitely not good to be dependent on a single country, regardless of the technology” she told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (Monday editions). “Therefore, we must now accelerate our work on the economic independence of Europe and build strong European AI companies.”
“It’s not too late to make Europe a leader in AI. But we must act now” she added. While acknowledging the need for close cooperation with the US, she warned against pouring all resources into the field. “KI is undoubtedly the big topic of the day. I would caution against investing all our money in this area” the commissioner said. “For our economic security, our well-being, and our competitiveness, it is extremely important to develop all the necessary technologies that we need today to support our industry. This has priority.”
Noting AI’s potential as a “game changer” for medicine and science, she also stressed the importance of reliable data and human oversight in the development of AI.