The European Union has unveiled two strategic plans to speed up the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in industry and science, aiming to catch up with the United States and China.
Last year, only 13% of European businesses were using AI, with significant disparities between member states, according to Henna Virkkunen, Commissioner for Technological Sovereignty.
She highlighted that AI offers “enormous productivity gains” during a press conference.
The EU aims to increase this adoption rate to 75% by 2030. It has already launched various initiatives, such as supporting the creation of AI "gigafactories" and data centres in Europe, as well as introducing AI regulations set to come into force next year.
Now, the focus will shift to targeted actions, starting with industries and scientific domains.
From medicine and robotics to energy, defence, and automotive, businesses and organisations will be encouraged to prioritise AI development.
To achieve this, the EU plans to mobilise around €1 billion, partly through its flagship research funding programme, Horizon Europe.
This funding will support concrete measures, including an advanced cancer detection network, the development of specialised AI models, and the deployment of autonomous driving technologies, explained Virkkunen.
Additional plans to address AI adoption in service sectors such as finance, tourism, and e-commerce may follow.
"I want the future of AI to be shaped in Europe. Its adoption must be widespread, and with these strategies, we aim to accelerate the process," stated European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a release.
