Key Points
- The EU has launched a €1 billion plan to boost the use of AI in its key industries.
- The strategy aims to reduce the bloc’s reliance on U.S. and Chinese technology.
- The plan will promote an “AI first” mindset in sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, and energy.
- The funding will be sourced from existing EU research programs and is intended to encourage private investment.
The European Union has announced a new €1 billion ($1.1 billion) plan to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence in its key industries. The “Apply AI” strategy is a major part of the bloc’s push to reduce its dependence on U.S. and Chinese technology and achieve “strategic autonomy.”
“I want the future of AI to be made in Europe,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The new plan aims to drive an “AI first” mindset across a wide range of critical sectors, including healthcare, energy, manufacturing, and defense.
This comes as the EU seeks to strike a balance between regulating AI and promoting innovation. The bloc’s landmark AI Act, which came into force last year, has been criticized for being too burdensome for startups. The new “Apply AI” strategy is designed to complement those rules by actively promoting the adoption of AI and making it easier for European companies to compete on the global stage.
The €1 billion in funding will come from existing EU research programs. The Commission hopes that this initial investment will encourage EU member states and the private sector to contribute their own matching funds.
Specific measures in the plan include establishing a network of AI-powered screening centers for healthcare and developing advanced “agentic AI” for manufacturing and pharmaceutical applications. The goal is to ensure that Europe doesn’t get left behind in the global AI race.
