‘EU should create standards for AI such as for household appliances’

The European Union should have standards and ethical rules for the development of artificial intelligence. The responsibility for the challenges surrounding AI now rests solely with companies, but science and government must also be given a role in this, says the EESC.

The European Economic and Social Committee advocates three types of rules in the field of artificial intelligence. There must be standards that AI meets, such as those currently in place for other product groups such as household appliances. In addition, there must be ethical rules that guarantee that artificial intelligence takes into account human dignity, integrity and cultural and gender diversity. Finally, the EU needs to have employment strategies in place to ensure that people continue to hold and enjoy jobs, even as AI plays a bigger role.

The EESC’s opinion carries weight as it is an important advisory body for policy within the European Union. The proposals aim to ensure that humans remain in control of artificial intelligence. The EESC sees the EU playing a leading role in this worldwide.

The development of AI now lies mainly with companies, but the EESC sees the societal issues associated with the rise of artificial intelligence as important enough that science and politics should also have a role.

Politicians have been concerned for some time about the impact of artificial intelligence on employment, among other things. For example, many people currently working in transportation, such as truck drivers and taxi drivers, could lose their jobs in the coming decades if self-driving cars and trucks take over their jobs. The fear that artificial intelligence will surpass humanity has been visible for some time in science fiction, among other things.