US and EU announced agreement to accelerate use of AI
The United States and the European Union announced an agreement to accelerate and improve the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture, healthcare, emergency response, climate forecasting, and the electric grid.
When discussing the initiative shortly before its official announcement, a senior US administration official referred to it as the first comprehensive AI agreement between the US and Europe. Previously, agreements on the subject had been limited to specific areas such as improving privacy, according to the official.
AI modelling, which refers to machine-learning algorithms that use data to make logical decisions, has the potential to speed up and improve the efficiency of government operations and services.
“The magic here is in building joint models (while) leaving data where it is,” the senior administration official said. “The US data stays in the US and European data stays there, but we can build a model that talks to the European and the US data because the more data and the more diverse data, the better the model.”
According to an administration official, the initiative will provide governments with greater access to more detailed and data-rich AI models, resulting in more efficient emergency response and electric grid management, among other benefits.
The official, referring to the electric grid, stated that the US collects data on how electricity is used, where it is generated, and how to balance the grid’s load so that weather changes do not knock it offline.
According to the official, many European countries collect similar data points relating to their own grids. Under the new collaboration, all of that data would be fed into a common AI model, producing better results for emergency managers, grid operators, and others who rely on AI to improve systems.
Currently, the partnership is limited to the White House and the European Commission, the executive arm of the 27-member European Union. Other countries will be invited to join in the coming months, according to a senior administration official.