The Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) Office has recently been established within the European Union (“EU”). Its fundamental purpose shall be aiding in the implementation of the EU AI Act.

The AI Act had been proposed back in 2021 and has been in the works ever since. The European Parliament and the Council of Europe had reached a political agreement regarding the AI Act on the 9th day of December 2023. The proposed act was subsequently endorsed by all Member States on the 2nd day of February and is now scheduled for a plenary vote between the 10th and the 11th day of April 2024.

The AI Office will prove to be a pioneer for the governance of AI within the EU.

The scope of the aforementioned AI office is mainly to:

Support the AI act and monitor and enforce the rules for general-purpose AI models:

The AI Office shall contribute to the coherent application of the AI act across all Member States and concerned bodies at EU levels. Prior to the enforcement date of the AI Act, the AI Office shall also oversee the AI Pact. This is an initiative, forming part of the European AI Alliance, allows businesses and other stakeholders to plan ahead and prepare for the implementation of the AI Act. The AI office shall also be responsible to investigate possible infringements of this act and shall subsequently have the authority to take corrective action to rectify any possible infringements.

Strengthen the development and use of trustworthy AI:

The AI Office shall uphold the Commission’s aim of fostering trustworthy AI across the internal market. It shall thus collaborate with relevant national bodies to carry out any actions and/or policies to generate the most social and economic benefits possible out of AI, while also providing advice regarding AI sandboxes, real-world testing, and other European AI support structures. In doing so, the AI Office shall be promoting innovative ecosystems of trustworthy AI to enhance the EU’s economic growth.

Foster innovation powered by generative AI in key sectors of the economy:

Generative AI refers to a type of AI that can generate new content and ideas including but not limited to conversations such as website chatbots, stories, images, music, videos and more. The possibilities are endless.

The AI offices’ role in fostering the growth and innovation of this type of AI benefits these core areas of the economy such as healthcare for instance. Generative AI is used to analyze medical images and assists doctors in making diagnoses and provides for a better administrative system overall, which in turn aids in preventing medical errors.

Another key economic sector is the finance sector, where AI algorithms are used to detect fraud and identify feasible investment opportunities. Generative AI enhances risk mitigation and optimizes financial operations in the financial and ancillary economic sectors.

Other key economic sectors include; transportation, manufacturing, entertainment and the retail sector among others.

Fostering cooperation across the EU and globally:

At an EU institutional level, the AI Office shall work closely with the European Artificial Intelligence Board (“EAIB”) (which is formed by representatives of Member States) as well as the European Centre for Algorithmic Transparency (“ECAT”) of the Commission. The AI Office shall also form part of the European AI Alliance to oversee the AI Pact as previously mentioned.

On an international level, the AI Office promotes the EU’s approach to trustworthy AI including by collaborating with other related institutions and bodies globally. The AI Office shall also participate in the development and implementation of international agreements concerning AI and doing so with the support of the Member States.

The AI Office is also entitled to partner up with any individual expert or organizations related to the AI sector in pursuit of its scope and objectives. It may also act to promote the cooperation of providers of AI models and systems (similar to the European AI Alliance), to discuss and communicate better practices which shall contribute to the development of codes of conduct and practice.

The EU Coordinated Plan on AI gives further insight on the initiatives to foster trustworthy AI development within the EU.

Disclaimer This article is not intended to impart legal advice and readers are asked to seek verification of statements made before acting on them.
Skip to content