ERCIM News 116
January 2019
Special theme Transparency in Algorithmic Decision Making
Guest editors Andreas Rauber (TU Wien and SBA), Roberto Trasarti and Fosca Giannotti (ISTI-CNR)
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- Category: Keynote
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by Sabine Theresia Köszegi
On 25 April 2018, the Europaen Commission published a Communication in which it announced an ambitious European Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (AI). The major advances in AI over the last decade revealed its capacity as a general-purpose technology and pushed inventions in areas of mobility, healthcare, home & service robotics, education and cyber security, to name just a few. These AI-enabled developments have the capability to generate tremendous benefits not only for individuals but also for the society as a whole. AI has also promising capabilities when it comes to address and resolve the grand challenges, such as climate change or global health and wellbeing, as expressed in the United Nations Sustainable Development goals. In competition with other key players, like the United States and China, Europe needs to leverage its current strengths, foster the enablers for innovation and technology uptake and find its unique selling proposition in AI to ensure a competitive advantage and a prosperous economic development in its Member States. At the same time, AI comes with risks and challenges associated to fundamental human rights and ethics. Europe therefore must ensure to craft a strategy that maximizes the benefits of AI while minimizing its risks.