How can Europe keep up with the USA and China in artificial intelligence? That is the wrong question, says the organization AI Now. Before Europe invests hundreds of billions in AI, it should be clarified who benefits from it.
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“The EU is currently reorienting itself,” says Frederike Kaltheuner from the AI Now Institute. “Until now, the focus was on
regulation such as the AI Act , now it’s about industrial policy and investment.” Kaltheuner fears that no lessons will be learned from past mistakes: “If you look at previous investment programs such as the European Chips Act, tens of billions were distributed without attaching any conditions to the money.” In the end, it was
primarily Intel , a US corporation, that benefited. Things have to be different if we want to promote European AI.
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In Brussels and Berlin, the expression “level playing field” is often used. All market participants should have the same opportunities. The AI Now report gives the impression that this concept is an illusion. “Some politicians do not understand how the market for AI is structured,” says Kaltheuner.
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This is another reason why AI Now recommends not seeing the billions invested in AI as an end in themselves. “I keep hearing that Europe must remain competitive,” says Kaltheuner. “That sounds good, but it is empty. In what competition, with whom and for what?”
The researchers and experts brought together by AI Now believe it is pointless to compete with the USA and China for the most powerful language models. This race is almost impossible to win anyway. First of all, we must question whether AI really has as few alternatives as corporations and politicians like to portray.
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