By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
The European Union has
called for stronger cooperation with the United Kingdom on artificial
intelligence (AI) competitiveness, security and trust, with European Commission
Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen emphasising the need to strengthen
Europe's technological capabilities while working closely with trusted
international partners.
Virkkunen made the remarks
following two days of engagements in London, where she held discussions with UK
government officials, technology leaders, AI security experts and
representatives of the communications sector on the future development and
governance of artificial intelligence.
She said AI was reshaping
economies, security and societies, stressing that how the technology develops
will depend on decisions being made today and the partnerships established to
support its advancement.
"Europe must build its
own capabilities in the technologies that matter most for our future. At the
same time, we want to deepen our cooperation with trusted partners, and the UK
is one of them," Virkkunen said.
On competitiveness, she
highlighted the complementary strengths of the EU and the UK, noting that
Europe has the talent, research and industrial base to compete in AI but needs
to scale its capabilities faster.
She pointed to the UK's
strengths in AI research, innovation and finance, alongside the EU's industrial
capabilities and scale, as important foundations for closer cooperation. The
issue featured in her discussions with UK Minister Kanishka Narayan and Demis
Hassabis of Google DeepMind.
Virkkunen also undertook a
test ride with Wayve, a UK-based autonomous driving technology company, which
she said demonstrated how quickly AI was moving from screens onto streets.
On AI security, discussions
at the UK's AI Security Institute (AISI) focused on understanding and managing
the risks associated with the most advanced AI systems.
She stressed that AI-related
risks and cyber threats do not stop at national borders, making international
cooperation essential to developing effective responses.
The third area of engagement
focused on trust and online safety, particularly the protection of children
online. Virkkunen discussed the issue with UK Minister Ian Murray and Ofcom
Chief Executive Dame Melanie Dawes, noting that both sides shared the same
objective and could learn from each other's experiences.
During her visit to the
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Virkkunen also engaged
with students, who highlighted the importance of ensuring that AI serves people
and contributes positively to society.
She said the future of AI
was not predetermined and that the younger generation could help shape its
development.
Virkkunen maintained that
technological sovereignty does not mean going it alone, arguing that Europe
must strengthen its own technological capabilities while maintaining close
partnerships with trusted countries such as the UK.
She expressed hope that the
EU-UK Summit scheduled to take place in Brussels on November 20 would advance
discussions on cooperation in these areas.
