OpenAI is calling for a simplification and review of AI regulations in Europe that it said could impede the region’s competitiveness globally, as the EU embarks on a set of initiatives for AI growth and innovation.
“We call for EU policymakers and regulators to reset and rethink their current approach to regulating AI,” OpenAI Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane said in the startup’s “EU Economic Blueprint” report.
OpenAI said regulations that boost artificial intelligence (AI) growth in the European Union should be kept and those that do not should be revised. It cited former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi’s view that these accumulated rules are “a drag on European competitiveness.”’
The EU AI Act, which entered into force in 2024, is the most comprehensive set of AI regulations in the world, to date. Any company that serves a European user would fall under these rules, including U.S. tech giants.
But earlier this month, the EU also unveiled its “AI Continent Action Plan” that aims to harness industries and skilled talent for AI growth and innovation. Despite U.S. and China now leading in the global AI competition, the EU believes that “the race for leadership in AI is far from over.”
The EU action plan aims to build large-scale AI data and computing infrastructure, increase access to high-quality, large sets of data, develop algorithms and foster AI adoption in strategic EU sectors, strengthen AI skills and talent and simplify regulations.
But OpenAI said these twin EU movements — AI regulations on the one hand and AI growth incentives on the other — should move “in sync” to create a “flywheel for AI growth” instead of picking and choosing which areas to nurture and which areas to hinder.
“A house divided against itself cannot stand, and nor can a strategy that nurtures AI growth in some areas while hindering adoption in others,” OpenAI said in its report.
Read more: Report: EU to Announce Digital Services Act Penalties Against X This Summer
The OpenAI Plan for Europe
OpenAI said it supports efforts to simply regulations as it affects the AI sector. Its recommendations are aimed at ensuring that AI is “developed and deployed by Europe, in Europe, and for Europe.”
However, former European Parliament member Marietje Schaake argued in an op-ed that weakening AI regulations would strengthen U.S. tech giants more instead of boosting Europe’s own small and mid-size companies.
Instead, “strong enforcement of competition law” and other regulations could “curb Big Tech’s influence while creating space for European startups and challengers to thrive,” Schaake wrote, along with Max von Thun, director of Europe and Transatlantic Partnerships at the Open Markets Institute.
Meanwhile, OpenAI is urging the EU to “act more boldly and decisively” to maximize AI’s possibilities while ensuring responsible use. The opportunity for artificial intelligence to revive EU economic competitiveness is “too compelling to forfeit,” especially as autocratic governments increasingly invest in AI development.
“That is a growing risk if democracies don’t move with speed and determination, both to build AI on democratic principles and to demonstrate its benefits,” the report said.
OpenAI stresses the urgency of action, noting that “time is of the essence” as global demand for AI infrastructure far outstrips supply.
If Europe doesn’t provide an attractive environment for AI investment, OpenAI warned, “funds will flow to projects elsewhere, potentially backed by regimes that do not share Europe’s values.”
OpenAI’s blueprint centers around four key principles and calls for specific actions to be taken:
Establish the Foundations for AI to Grow
- Increase computing capacity by at least 300% by 2030
- Adopt a green AI grid
- Implement sector-specific AI data spaces to foster trusted sharing
- Make public data available online
Streamline EU rules to Enable AI Progress
- Launch a $1 billion fund to finance AI pilot projects
- Publish a yearly AI readiness ranking of EU nations
- Appoint an AI readiness officer for each EU member nation by 2027
- Launch a unified legal framework by 2026
Maximize AI Opportunities Through Widespread Adoption
- Offer tax credits or subsidies for AI investments
- Encourage public-private partnerships
- Build mechanism to share best practices
- Train 100 million Europeans in foundation AI skills by 2030
- Mobilize 10,000 AI literacy ambassadors by 2030 to promote AI awareness
- Embed AI literacy in schools and train teachers
Ensure AI Is Built Responsibly and Reflects European Values
- Create an annual AI awareness day
- Award a responsible AI innovation prize
- Promote youth AI literacy
- Develop educational materials and safety guidelines on the use of AI tools
- Set up a framework to develop common standards to protect and empower children
Source: https://www.pymnts.com/
