EU Commission prepares 'strategic framework' to support AI start-ups and generative deployment of AI

The EU executive will present a communication "on the support of start-ups and innovations in the field of artificial intelligence" by the end of January. The strategy can be seen as a first step towards an AI-specific industrial policy, while in terms of regulation, the EU is close to formally adopting an AI law. The paper notes how the initiative was necessitated by the rapid and disruptive acceleration of AI, noting the critical role of foundational models such as GPT-4 that have given rise to general purpose AI systems such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Bard . "Mastering the latest developments in generative AI will become a key lever for Europe's competitiveness and technological sovereignty," says the strategy, which outlines a strategic investment framework leveraging EU assets. (Luca Bertuzzi, euractiv.com)