Cornerstones of Political AI Strategies
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Over the next few years, Artificial Intelligence will change business and daily life worldwide. To shape the associated political and social developments and challenges, a number of governments have produced political AI strategies in which they set out their goals and key areas of activity. The following is an overview of the main content of the strategies that selected countries are pursuing.
European Union
As early as April 2018, the European Commission published an agenda for the promotion of artificial intelligence in Europe, and in December 2018 it presented the Coordinated Plan for Artificial Intelligence in cooperation with the High Level Expert Group on AI, a network of leading European AI experts, and the European AI Alliance. This was followed in spring 2020 by the White Paper on Artificial Intelligence, in which the EU Commission presented a framework for trustworthy AI for discussion, based on excellence and trust.
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Political Aims
The aim of the EU is to enable scientific breakthroughs and European technological leadership in the field of Artificial Intelligence. New technologies should serve all Europeans, improving their lives while respecting their rights. The joint action to strengthen European innovation aims to:
- Expansion of investments and development of the AI infrastructure.
- Creation of an ethical and legal framework.
- Promotion of education and research.
Areas of Activity
Strategic measures and coordination
- Further development of Member States’ national AI strategies.
- Europe should go its own way together.
Public and private investment
- Boosting the EU Commission’s “Horizon 2020” research and innovation programme.
- Investing in various AI technologies and applications (e.g. Big Data, robotics, mobility, health).
- Developing a platform for AI on demand that gives European users access to relevant AI resources.
- Using the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI) for the targeted financing of companies and start-ups.
- Application of AI in the public sector (Adopt AI programme).
Education, research and skills
- Promotion of AI-relevant skills (Coordinated Plan on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Education Action Plan)
- Retaining and attracting the best professors and scientists.
- Bundling of competence centres.
- Supporting changes in the labour market through specific training programmes with funding from the European Social Fund.
Ethical and legal frameworks
- Establishing ethics guidelines for the development of AI (based on the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU), including close cooperation in the European AI Alliance.
- Orientation towards the principles of European data protection and European product liability directives.
Transfer to the market
- Networking Europe’s top AI research centres.
- Construction of test facilities (e.g. for networked and autonomous driving).
- Development of platforms and large-scale pilot projects with AI elements in areas such as energy, health care, manufacturing, geoinformation and agriculture.
- Promotion of the integration of AI and data analysis in lighthouse initiatives in the fields of manufacturing, mobility, personalised medicine.
- Faster AI diffusion through digital innovation centres.
Infrastructure
- Investments in high-performance computers, quantum computers and AI and data infrastructure.
- Further development of the European Open Science Cloud.
- Development of a pan-European high-performance computing infrastructure.
Germany
In November 2018, the German Federal Government announced its national Strategy for Artificial Intelligence. The goal is to establish “AI made in Germany” as an international trademark for cutting-edge, secure AI applications aimed at serving the common good in line with Europe’s core values. From now until 2025, the Federal Government will allocate some five billion euros to pursuing this strategy. Plattform Lernende Systeme will support the roll-out of this AI strategy and expand to become a platform for Artificial Intelligence in order to achieve this.
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Political Aims
Starting out from a strong position in terms of research, Germany is to become a leading country for the study, development and application of Artificial Intelligence.
- Achieve technology leadership and “AI made in Germany” as a seal of quality.
- Develop and use AI responsibly.
- Development of AI solutions as a contribution to the environment and climate protection.
- Promote dialogue throughout society sector.
- Building a European AI ecosystem that expands the competitiveness of business and research, promotes diverse AI applications in the interest of society, and is based on European value.
Areas of Activity
Expanding AI research
- Developing a national network of at least twelve centres and application hubs.
- Establishment of a world-leading European AI network branded as “AI – Made in Europe.
- Establishing a minimum of 100 additional AI professorships and strengthening the teaching and promotion of young talent in the field of AI.
- Using attractive working conditions and remuneration to draw in and retain the brightest minds.
- Developing a Franco-German research and innovation network (“virtual centre”).
- Strengthening interdisciplinary research on AI.
- Implementation of AI Challenges and Establishment of a German Award for “KI Made in Germany.
Knowledge transfer, application and entrepreneurship
- Speeding up progress from research to concrete AI applications using test fields, living labs, model trials, regional clusters and cutting-edge forms of support.
- Improving ways for companies to access AI technologies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises via “SME 4.0 Competence Centres”.
- Promoting the growth of AI start-ups by way of support programmes (e.g. EXIST) and venture capital.
- Drawing up an AI map of applications and stakeholders – monitoring AI and networking companies and institutions.
- Founding an agency for radical innovation with AI as a major focus.
- Setting up a European AI innovation cluster and holding innovation competitions.
- Public presentation of best practices (especially with the help of Plattform Lernende Systeme).
International and public dialogue
- European and transatlantic dialogue on human-centric use of AI in working environments.
- Dialogue throughout society on how to shape AI ethically, legally, culturally and institutionally – Germany’s.
- Platform for Artificial Intelligence will play a key role in this process.
- Expanding an ecosystem for public good AI, including launching the Civic Innovation Platform, Civic Data Lab, and Civic Tech Labs for Green projects.
Changes to the world of work
- Adopting a comprehensive and humane approach based on the autonomous development of abilities and talents, social security and workers’ health.
- Forming regional competence centres for studying and organising labour.
- Monitoring specialist workers and pursuing a national training strategy to boost employees’ skills, particularly in relation to digital transformation and AI.
- Researching the effects of AI at the workplace in experimental operational environments and involving works councils at an early stage of introducing AI applications.
- Training HR officers, staff councils and works councils (e.g. in future centres).
- Development of an AI-supported online entry portal for continuing vocational training.
Data usage, data security, law and ethics
- Promote research on the control and traceability of algorithmic prediction and decision-making systems, and on consumer protection and privacy.
- Making data available, e.g. through potential data partnerships between companies and research institutes and by establishing incentives and framework conditions for voluntary data sharing (including from publicly financed research projects) in compliance with data protection regulations.
- Modifying competition and copyright law to increase the volume of usable data without disclosing personal data or proprietary know-how (“Competition Law 4.0 Commission”).
- Adaptation of the Labor Law and Employee Data Protection Act.
- Creating a legally secure regulatory framework for AI players.
Spain
In December 2020, Spain published the National AI Strategy Report. The goal was to develop a legal framework for the state administration that enables innovative AI development.
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Political goals
The strategy takes a multidisciplinary approach that combines economic, social, environmental and administrative aspects of AI. At the same time, it aims to promote AI as part of the Spanish economy through concrete AI-focused actions at the national level, while aligning with EU policies.
Fields of action
Human capital
- Providing technical knowledge for today’s and tomorrow’s workforce.
- Promoting advanced forms of study, especially multidisciplinary approaches.
Value creation
- Coordinating research, development and innovation by linking the policies of the state and autonomous regions.
- Establishing a thriving innovation environment that further promotes the development of AI technologies, through business support programs and testbeds for innovation.
Regulation
- Ethical and legal framework that protects individual and collective rights and ensures social well-being.
- Establish a control system for ethics in AI and develop a trustworthy AI certificate.
Infrastructure
- Establish a central data management body at the national level and appoint a Chief Data Officer, responsible for initiatives to create secure data repositories in the EU and coordinate AI applications.
- Promote AI infrastructure for natural language processing, especially for Spanish.
Societal challenges
- Use AI to combat the Covid-19 pandemic to better prepare health systems for such events.
Sweden
In May 2018, Sweden published its first landmark AI strategy, the National Approach for Artificial Intelligence. This serves as the government’s reference for further policy initiatives to strengthen Sweden’s prosperity and competitiveness with the help of AI.
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Political goals
The focus of Swedish AI activities is on education and training, innovation and value creation, framework conditions and infrastructure, and research.
Fields of action
Human capital
- Promote lifelong learning as well as university teaching related to AI.
- Evaluate and adapt the skills of the workforce to a changing marketplace driven by AI.
Value creation
- Creating a healthy foundation for successful value creation.
- Measures: applied research environments, strong links to international AI initiatives, and AI risk management.
Regulierung
- Establish rules, standards, norms and ethics for sustainable development and use of AI.
- Advance Swedish and international standards and regulations for risk-free use of AI.
- Create legislation to promote the use of AI and minimize risks to society and individuals.
Infrastructure
- Establish digital infrastructure, high-quality data infrastructure, and well-developed telecommunications. infrastructure in terms of computing power, connectivity, and network capacity.
Societal challenges
- Accelerating AI innovation to combat climate change, environmental issues, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic.
France
In March 2018, President Emmanuel Macron gave a speech in which he set out the fundamentals of a French AI strategy entitled AI for Humanity. A report published by French member of parliament Cédric Villani in March forms an important basis for this strategy.
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Political aims
France emphasises that Artificial Intelligence must work for the benefit of people and gives the state an important controlling function. State funding amounting to 1.5 billion euros up to 2022 has been earmarked for expanding research into AI and for its use.
- To establish an open data policy for the implementation of AI applications.
- To focus on four sectors: Health, environment, mobility, security/defence.
- To promote European cooperation on AI.
Areas of activity
AI ecosystem for France and Europe
- Establishing a national office of coordination (under the direction of INRIA) to network French AI expertise.
- Founding four to five AI groupings with partners from science and business (e.g. PRAIRIE).
- Expanding AI research and recruiting international researchers.
Open data
- Providing public data for publicly supported projects.
- Establishing shared data platforms for the public and private sector.
- Opening the database at European level.
- Stimulating the public debate on the handling of data.
Legal and ethical issues
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- Modifying the legal framework for the development of AI (e.g. for autonomous driving by 2022, conducting regional experiments with exemption rules beforehand).
- Dialogue about ethical issues at European and international level (primarily Canada) with the aim of creating an organisation like the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) for AI.
- Transparency of algorithms.
- Ethical code for programmers.
United Kingdom
In 2017, the UK government published an initial strategy paper that defined Artificial Intelligence as a building block for economic and industrial growth. In 2018, a House of Lords Select Committee presented a report on the economic, ethical and social consequences of AI. In April 2018, a UK AI strategy appeared in the form of the AI Sector Deal.
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Investment-friendly environment
- Increasing government funding for research and development.
- Offering tax incentives for AI research and development.
Basic and further training in AI
- Investing in the teaching of STEM subjects and in digital education.
- Training all sections of the population in AI, particularly in economically underdeveloped regions.
Political Aims
The government wants to make the UK the world’s most innovative economy through digitalisation. The aim is that Artificial Intelligence should deliver excellent workplaces and a higher standard of living for all.
- To establish the UK as an attractive high-tech location for start-ups and entrepreneurs.
- To expand the digital infrastructure.
- To promote and support AI-related collaborations.
Areas of activity
Investment-friendly environment
- Increasing government funding for research and development.
- Offering tax incentives for AI research and development.
Basic and further training in AI
- Investing in the teaching of STEM subjects and in digital education.
- Training all sections of the population in AI, particularly in economically underdeveloped region.
Investment in digital infrastructure
- Expanding digital mobility concepts and supporting electromobility and digitally supported charging.
- Promoting the construction of smart homes.
- Investing in state-of-the-art broadband expansion.
Economic development
- Supporting partnerships between the state and industry, primarily in the sectors of health, mechanical engineering and automotive.
- Establishing an investment fund for British business supported by the British Business Bank.
- Evaluating all political measures to improve business innovation.
USA
Back in October 2016, the Obama administration published Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence, a comprehensive AI strategy paper. In October 2019, the National Science Foundation announced a program to support long-term, large-scale innovation research. In January 2020, the White House released regulatory principles for AI development in the private sector with a strong focus on trusted AI. As of August 2021, the U.S. Department of State website summarizes key action areas for AI deployment.
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Political Aims
The measures for promoting and utilising Artificial Intelligence that the Federal Government of the United States has set out and announced focus on the following key objectives:
- To improve living standards and safeguard well-being.
- To focus on applications in the fields of science, medicine, communications and the military.
- To assist and protect U.S. soldiers, civilians and the American nation.
- To improve the efficiency of public service.
Areas of Activity
Promoting AI research
- Easing regulations for the use of AI (e.g. automated driving, use of drones, medical diagnosis).
Breaking down barriers to investment
- Boosting the EU Commission’s “Horizon 2020” research and innovation programme.
- Investing in various AI technologies and applications (e.g. Big Data, robotics, mobility, health).
- Developing a platform for AI on demand that gives European users access to relevant AI resources.
- Using the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI) for the targeted financing of companies and start-ups.
- Application of AI in the public sector (Adopt AI programme).
Military ethics and AI security
- Ensuring responsibility and ethics in Artificial Intelligence.
- Protecting AI against hackers and manipulation.
- Supporting transparency in AI research and drawing up military guidelines for handling AI.
Ethical and legal frameworks
- Establishing ethics guidelines for the development of AI (based on the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU), including close cooperation in the European AI Alliance.
- Orientation towards the principles of European data protection and European product liability directives.
Strengthening The Armed Forces
- Improving how situations are evaluated and decision-making.
- Intelligent predictive maintenance and provision.
International cooperation
- Science and Technology Agreement with the UK.
- Global partnerships.
Regulatory framework for trusted AI
- Focus on public involvement, minimizing bureaucratic hurdles and trustworthy technology.
- Cost-benefit considerations and establishment of flexible framework conditions for the regulation of AI by public authorities.
- Regulation based on fairness and transparency as well as general and technical safety.
Japan
The Strategic Council for AI Technology to promote Artificial Intelligence in Japan. The organisation published an Artificial Intelligence Technology Strategy. The goals and measures contained therein support the vision of a super-smart “Society 5.0”, as pursued by Prime Minister Shinzō Abes for several years with a package of policies (“Abenomics”). Other AI-related strategy papers produced in Japan include its Industrialization Roadmap, Integrated Innovation Strategy and New Robot Strategy.
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Political goals
The Japanese approach to Artificial Intelligence focuses on the potential for social development:
- Boosting social productivity and the creativity of its citizens.
- Using big data to spearhead medical care and welfare technology.
- Improving travel for its citizens, taking better care of the environment, and eradicating all accidents by 2030.
- Creating robust economic development of AI coupled with appropriate evaluation criteria and awards.
Areas of action
Research and development (R&D)
- Trebling business investment in universities and R&D institutes by 2027.
- Promoting skilled workers, particularly high-level industrial-scientific collaboration.
- Creating a working and scientific environment that provides incentives for AI experts.
- Boosting energy efficiency and reducing the spatial dimensions of supercomputers.
Data management
- Capturing the information required to create an effective data environment and integrating input/output devices.
- Creating incentives for companies to provide data.
- Increasing data compatibility by means of standard profiles and standardised data formats..
Productivity
- Highly customising mass production by automating and optimising production systems.
- Improving the service sector.
- Supporting start-ups through “open innovation”.
Health, medical care and welfare
- Preventing diseases and increasing life expectancy with AI-based preventive medicine.
- Reducing social expenditure.
- Combating the issues caused by a shrinking workforce.
Mobility
- Increasing the freedom, environmental credentials and safety of travel.
- Establishing AI-based sharing services for people and goods.
