Main Insight
The Future Society recommends "Experimentation, testing & audit as a cornerstone for trust and excellence" in response to the European Commission's White Paper on AI.
Input on Europe’s future AI policies
June 15, 2020
The Future Society responded to the European Commission’s call for comments on its proposed AI policies for the European Union (EU) outlined in its White Paper on AI. We welcome the European Approach on AI and we recommend to carefully build the civil service’s capabilities for experimentation, testing and audit of AI technologies. Otherwise, the EU’s great ambitions for trustworthy AI will falter during the enforcement of its policies.
You can download our contribution here and we provide a summary of our recommendations below.
World reference experimentation, testing and audit capabilities. The Future Society believes the EU should equip itself with measurement and benchmarking protocols, EU technology laboratories, risk assessment frameworks, auditing tools, test beds, etc. for new AI technologies. these new public capabilities will turn the European Approach into reality, protecting citizens’ rights while empowering innovation.
Design the evidence-based enforcement mechanisms the European Approach’s ambitions deserve. The Future Society believes the European Commission should review the available evidence and best practices for the design of experimentation, testing and audit capabilities and other policy instruments. From Member States’ national experience, U.S. NIST, and Public Administration experts, there is a lot of to learn from for designing an effective governance of AI for trust and excellence.
Enabling Excellence in Trust, and Trust in Excellence. The Future Society believes both ex-ante and ex-post compliance tools (such as pre-market testing protocols and auditing tools) are needed for a market that is both more innovative and more trustworthy. The EU should combine ex-ante and ex-post capabilities within the same coherent governance system.
Leadership is not simply about being first; it’s also about bringing the others forward with you. The Future Society believes the European Commission should facilitate access to its world reference experimentation, testing and audit capabilities. By encouraging utilization abroad without lowering the EU’s quality standards, the EU could strengthen its various partnerships with both developed and developing nations.
New capabilities for the Davids forming the backbone of European society, not only the Goliaths. The Future Society believes the new experimentation, testing and audit capabilities should be designed with and for SMEs, local governments & authorities, start-ups, self-employed individuals, NGOs, researchers, etc. without lowering the EU’s quality standards. This requires paying attention to the time-efficiency and financial impact of compliance, and considering novel technological approaches for enforcement.
We cannot always know the future, but we can learn faster. The Future Society believes agile governance is key for the legitimacy and sustained effectiveness of the European Approach on AI. Built-in opportunities for civic consultations and for regular landscape reviews would provide feedback loops for the EU’s leadership to continuously adapt to technological risks and opportunities, and citizens’ evolving preferences.
Modern technologies require modern governance tools and skills. The Future Society believes Research, Innovation & Capacity-building is crucial for the long-term success of the European Approach on AI. From the use of regulatory sandboxes to blockchain and software tools for decentralized audit, there is a whole new range of techniques to achieve compliance – and of skills to learn. The EU’s experimentation, testing and audit capabilities should include a programme for Research, Innovation & Capacity-building for trust and excellence.
Picture by Christian Lue
Related resources
National AI Strategies for Inclusive & Sustainable Development
National AI Strategies for Inclusive & Sustainable Development
From 2020 to 2022, TFS supported the development of 3 National AI Strategies in Africa with public sector partners, GIZ, and Smart Africa. These programs build capacity through AI policy, regulatory, and governance frameworks to support countries’ efforts to harness AI responsibly, to achieve national objectives and inclusive and sustainable...
Stakeholder consultation workshops drive insights for National AI Strategies in Tunisia and Ghana
Stakeholder consultation workshops drive insights for National AI Strategies in Tunisia and Ghana
In May 2022, The Future Society (TFS) co-led stakeholder consultation workshops in Tunis and Accra to support the development of Tunisia’s and Ghana’s national AI strategies.
MOOC on AI and the Rule of Law: Successful Completion of the Pilot Phase
MOOC on AI and the Rule of Law: Successful Completion of the Pilot Phase
Over 4,400 participants from over 140 countries registered for the online course exploring AI's impact in and for justice.
Progress with GPAI AI & Pandemic Response Subgroup at Paris Summit 2021
Progress with GPAI AI & Pandemic Response Subgroup at Paris Summit 2021
On November 12th, 2021, an update on our work on the 'AI-Powered Immediate Response to Pandemics' project was presented at the GPAI Paris Summit 2021.
Leveraging Responsible AI in the Banking Sector in Africa
Leveraging Responsible AI in the Banking Sector in Africa
Between May and August 2021, The Future Society collaborated with the bank Société Générale, its 16 branches in Africa, and the civic tech Bluenove to up-skill Société Générale employees’ understanding about the risks and benefits linked to the adoption of AI in the banking sector. The three workshops organised throughout...
EU AI Act: Trust in Excellence & Excellence in Trust
EU AI Act: Trust in Excellence & Excellence in Trust
As the European Union develops the first law on AI, The Future Society has actively worked to ensure the text and policymakers help achieve a responsible adoption of AI.