The European Commission (EU) said it has launched a strategy on Wednesday to remove barriers to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and better equip Europe’s companies for global competition.

At the presentation of its new AI strategy, the Brussels authority announced that it would simplify rules, promote investment and massively expand the establishment of its own data centres.

The aim of the AI Continent Action Plan was to “transform Europe’s strong traditional industries and its exceptional talent pool into powerful engines of AI innovation and acceleration,” according to a statement.

There has been criticism from the tech industry that European regulations such as the AI Act were too bureaucratic and hostile to innovation.

One focus of the new strategy is on infrastructure and data centres. The commission called on member states to apply for the construction of so-called AI gigafactories to train particularly powerful AI models.

A total investment of €20 billion ($22 billion) is to be earmarked for this purpose.

According to the Brussels authority, only 13.5 per cent of companies in Europe currently use AI technologies, a figure the commission wants to increase significantly.
For example, so far, the EU has lagged behind China and the U.S. in AI technologies.

Germany’s outgoing digital minister, Volker Wissing, welcomed the plan and called for less bureaucracy and better investment conditions.

The German AI Association, on the other hand, said the strategy had little new substance. The European AI sector does not need any more announcements regarding previously known measures and small-scale individual strategies.

“But it is functional funding and award procedures that can keep pace with the speed of technological development,” said association head Jörg Bienert.

(dpa/NAN)