Vestager promises EU ethical rules for AI

During her hearing for the role of Executive Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner in charge of the portfolio ‘Europe fit for the digital age’, Margrethe Vestager has announced that ethical and human-centred rules on artificial intelligence (AI) will be developed in the first 100 days of her mandate. ‘AI must serve humans’ and the EU cannot be a leader in AI ‘without ethical guidelines’, Vestager told members of the European Parliament present at the hearing. She also noted that she would be careful not to over-regulate AI, and that businesses would be consulted during the development of guidelines. Vestager compared the EU with the USA and China, noting: ‘Some say China has all the data and the US has all the money. But in Europe, we have purpose [and] a lot to build on.’