Feb. 11, 2012 - At the opening of the ParisAIAt the Summit, some 60 European companies (including traditional industrial giants and AI startups such as Mistral, a large French manufacturer of language models) signed an initiative aimed at promoting Europe as a leader in AI. However, the very fact that these companies signed the initiative reflects the general perception that Europe is not yet a leader in AI.
According to 1AI.The initiative is called "European Union AI Champions Initiative, will be officially launched at the Elysee Palace during the AI Paris Action Summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will also be part of the discussion. The summit has attracted heads of government from a number of European countries, including Germany, Poland, and Ireland, but neither the United States nor the United Kingdom attended.
The initiative is led by the European arm of General Catalyst, an American venture capital firm.The core idea is that Europe's advancement in AI is too complex and weighed down by too many regulationsJeannette zu Fürstenberg, Managing Director and Head of General Catalyst Europe, said that traditional companies and startups are joining forces to "actively embrace artificial intelligence". This is a huge opportunity for the European tech ecosystem," she emphasized. We want to accelerate the virtuous circle between innovators, startups and AI adopters."
zu Fürstenberg noted thatThe Initiative will engage in "structured cooperation" with the European Commission to explore ways to reduce regulatory restrictions.She. She mentioned that there are currently many conflicts and lack of harmonization between the EU's data governance bill, industry-specific regulations (e.g., telecom or banking), and the AI bill.Von der Leyen has made simplifying EU rules to promote AI innovation a key priority for his second term in office, and plans to introduce a European Innovation Act aimed at reducing the administrative burden on AI developers and providing clearer ecosystem support measures, such as access to funding.
zu Fürstenberg said that conflicts between different regulators within the EU, especially in banking and financial services, are hindering the practical application of AI. When asked if she thought the EU Champions Initiative was criticizing the EU, she responded, "They are sending us a strong signal that they want to be actively involved and engaged. Many of the conflicts we are currently experiencing are not intentional. So we are bringing regulators together with people who are actually working in the field."
In a statement of support, Arthur Mensch, Co-Founder and CEO of Mistral AI, said, "The EU AI Champions initiative comes at a critical time for business leaders to put Europe on the AI frontier and drive economic transformation. Now is the time for European policymakers, industry leaders and startups to realize the full potential of AI."
Christophe Fouquet, President and CEO of ASML, also said, "ASML believes that cutting-edge AI technologies combined with Europe's world-class innovation ecosystem will drive the next era of technological advancement. The EU AI Champions initiative is an important step in uniting industry leaders and ensuring that Europe remains at the forefront of AI-driven advances."
As part of the initiative, General Catalyst released a report titled "An Ambitious Agenda for AI in Europe," noting that the adoption of generative AI could potentially increase annual productivity in Europe by as much as 3% by 2030.