Brussels (Brussels Morning) – The EU Commission’s new AI Office will promote AI development, deployment, and innovation while mitigating risks. It will implement the AI Act, foster trustworthy AI research, and position the EU as a global leader.
The EU Commission has revealed the AI Office, designated within the Commission. The AI Office aims to promote the future development, deployment and usage of AI in a way that fosters societal and economic advantages and innovation while mitigating threats.Â
The Office will play a critical role in the implementation of the AI Act, particularly in relation to general-purpose AI models. It will also function to foster research and innovation in trustworthy AI and place the EU as a leader in international discussions.
What Units Compose the EU Commission’s AI Office?
According to the European Commission, the AI office is composed of the Regulation and Compliance Unit; a Unit on AI safety focusing on the identification of systemic risks; and Excellence in AI and Robotics Unit sponsors and funds research and development; the AI for Societal Good Unit to design and execute the international engagement and AI Innovation and Policy Coordination Unit that controls the execution of the EU AI strategy.
Commission states the AI Office will be led by the Head of the AI Office and will operate under the guidance of a Lead Scientific Adviser to assure scientific excellence in the evaluation of models and creative approaches, and an Adviser for international experiences to follow up on commitment to operate closely with international partners on trustworthy AI.
What Are the Key Responsibilities of the AI Office Staff?
The AI Office will operate more than 140 staff to carry out its duties. The staff will include technology specialists, executive assistants, lawyers, policy specialists, and economists.
The office will ensure the readable implementation of the AI Act. It will do this by keeping the governance bodies in Member States.Â
The AI Office will also instantly enforce the rules for general-purpose AI models. In collaboration with AI developers, the scientific community and other stakeholders, the AI Office will correspond with the drawing up of state-of-the-art codes of practice, perform testing and evaluation of general-purpose AI models, order information as well as apply sanctions, when necessary.
How Will the AI Office Engage with AI Developers and Stakeholders?
To ensure well-informed decision-making, the AI Office will cooperate with Member States and the wider talented community through dedicated fora and expert companies. At the EU level, the AI Office will operate with the European Artificial Intelligence Board comprised of representatives of Member States.Â
The Scientific Panel of independent professionals will ensure a strong connection with the scientific community and further expertise will be collected in an Advisory Forum, conveying a balanced preference of stakeholders, including industry, startups and SMEs, academia, think tanks and civil society.
The AI Office will facilitate an innovative EU ecosystem for trustworthy AI. It will assist with this by providing advice on best techniques and allowing access to AI sandboxes, real-world testing and other European mounting structures for AI uptake, such as the Testing and Experimentation Facilities in AI, the EU Digital Innovation Hubs, and the AI Factories. It will back research and innovation actions in the field of AI and robotics and implement initiatives, such as GenAI4EU, to assure that AI general-purpose models made in Europe and introduced through EU supercomputers are finetuned and incorporated into novel applications across the economy, stimulating investment.
