EU Auditor Urges Increased AI Investment and Member Coordination

The EU should focus on delivering concrete results for AI investment and coordinating with member states so regional startups can compete globally, European Court of Auditors member Mihails Kozlovs said Friday. The court held a hearing with EU policymakers, including European Parliament member Dragos Tudorache, a key negotiator for the EU AI Act (see 2405290007). The European Court of Auditors recently said the EU is lagging the U.S. and global leaders on AI development (see 2405290038). It found “weaknesses in implementation and performance monitoring,” said Kozlovs. He noted a 2018 EU strategy called for the EU economy to be the “world-leading region for cutting-edge ethical and secure AI.” The U.S., the UK and China have recognized the “criticalness” of AI and outlined “ambitious” strategies, he said. Meanwhile, the EU hasn’t updated its AI investment targets since 2018, and it’s unclear how each member state will contribute, he said. “This pinpoints the need for increased focus on delivering results and better coordination with member states,” he said. “The ultimate goal should be to build an attractive and effective AI ecosystem in Europe, where AI startups could scale and grow to a competitive level globally.” Tudorache said AI is an “enabling technology” that will affect every sector of the economy. The EU being the first “jurisdiction” in the world with a comprehensive AI regulation is a “good thing,” and it provides a global model, he said. But the “hard work,” including implementation of technical standards, “starts now,” he noted: Funding AI workforce training will be the most important investment.