The European Commission will present a so-called AI Continent action plan on 9 April in a bid to boost businesses application of artificial intelligence tools, Henna Virkkunen, the European Commissioner for Technology said in Brussels on Tuesday.
The action plan will consist of five pillars, including infrastructure, data access, cloud, talent and skills and simplification, Virkkunen told the FT Enabling Europe's AI Ambitions conference.
The EU's AI Act – the set of rules which regulate AI tools according to the risk they pose to society – will only fully apply in 2027, but the Commission is also looking simplification of existing rules.
The EU executive will also carry out a broader digital fitness check, to make sure that the rules “are fit for purpose”, Virkunnen said.
“We know there are overlapping parts – it is often the same small and medium sixed companies that need to comply with the different rules,” Virkkunen said.
“I was working as an MEP, and I know that most of the rules created in the last ten to fifteen years have many overlaps including many reporting obligations. We need to look at how to cut red tape,” she said.
The EU’s efforts to enforce tech rules, including platform and AI rules, have come in for heavy criticism from the new US administration led by Republican President Donald Trump. Vice President JD Vance warned against what he called "excessive regulation" of AI at the AI Action Summit in Paris in February.
Virkkunen pledged in written answers to EU lawmakers ahead of her confirmation hearing last year to make Europe an “AI Continent”, including proposals for AI factories and training facilities, as well as a Cloud and AI Development Act to help companies develop and deploy AI easier through more investment and energy efficiency targets.
Earlier this year, the Commission announced that it will mobilise €200bn euro for investment in AI. Of this, €20bn will be earmarked for AI gigafactories, which, according to the Commission, is needed to allow for “collaborative development” the most complex AI models.
