European Commission AI Watch initiative: Artificial Intelligence uptake and the European Geosciences Community

The European Commission (EC) puts forward a European approach to artificial intelligence and robotics. It deals with technological, ethical, legal and socio-economic aspects to boost EU's research and industrial capacity and to put AI at the service of European citizens and economy.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an area of strategic importance and a key driver of economic development. It can bring solutions to many societal challenges from treating diseases to minimising the environmental impact of farming. However, socio-economic, legal and ethical impacts have to be carefully addressed.

It is essential to join forces in the EU to stay at the forefront of this technological revolution, to ensure competitiveness and to shape the conditions for its development and use (ensuring respect of European values). In this framework, the EC and the Member States published a Coordinated Plan on Artificial Intelligence”, COM(2018) 795, on the development of AI in the EU. The Coordinated Plan includes the recognition of common indicators to monitor AI uptake and development in the Union and the success rate of the strategies in place, with the support of the AI Watch instrument developed by the EC. Therefore, AI Watch is monitoring and assessing European AI landscapes from driving forces to technology developments, from research to market, from data ecosystems to applications. 

The presentation will first introduce the main AI Watch methodology and tasks. Then, it will focus on the interest of AI Watch to monitor and understand what has been the AI impact on Geosciences research and innovation –see for example Climate Change studies. Finally, a proposal to connect EGU Community (in particular ESSI division) and AI Watch will be introduced.