EU countries still can’t get it together on AI
Sixteen countries haven’t yet appointed AI safety captains, and many missed an important deadline on data centers.
European leaders are set to convene for their first joint meeting on artificial intelligence, despite their governments falling short on crucial AI safety and infrastructure targets. The 27-member bloc's leaders gather in Dublin to discuss accelerating efforts to remain safe and competitive in the AI landscape. However, 16 capitals have missed a deadline to appoint a national authority for enforcing the AI safety law, and Brussels has delayed plans to support the construction of AI data centers due to administrative setbacks.
European Parliament lawmaker Sergey Lagodinsky, a German member of the Greens, expressed concern over the delays, urging capitals to take responsibility for their failures. Lagodinsky urged the European Commission to initiate formal proceedings against nations that fail to meet their obligations under the AI law. Safety has become a significant concern for EU leaders in light of recent incidents, cyberattacks, and warnings of potential existential risks from industry insiders.
The EU's flagship AI Act is intended to address these threats. Six countries - Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovakia, and Hungary - have yet to select an authority to enforce the law, while ten other capitals have only provisionally decided, with the need for adoption still pending. European Council President António Costa highlighted the importance of reducing dependence on the U.S. and China for AI technology in his invitation letter to the Dublin meeting, but the EU has also delayed infrastructure buildout, postponing the start of seven AI compute hubs across Europe due to member states' inability to meet deadlines and submit financial commitments.
Written by urgent.news from Politico EU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
