EU leaders gather for first ever AI summit

European Union leaders are meeting in Dublin on Friday at the first ever summit on artificial intelligence (AI). The meeting comes at a critical moment, as the bloc seeks a unified policy on the rapidly evolving technology.

"Given the rapid pace of AI development, ​I ‌believe that a first dedicated discussion, at leaders' level, is now needed on the opportunities presented by AI, as well as on its transformative effect on our economies and societies," European Council ‌President Antonio Costa wrote in a letter to EU leaders last week.

The meeting is taking place in Dublin's Convention Center, which was also the meting place of the European Political Community summit this week.

Scrutiny over AI and its leaders grow

French AI company Mistral's CEO Arthur Mensch, as well as Nobel-prize winner and researcher Geoffrey Hinton, widely known as the "godfather of AI," are expected to speak to EU leaders at the summit.

The summit will take place a time of mounting worries about the emerging technology, which promises to transform ‌industries, labor markets and societies.

It also comes in the wake of a series of incidents involving rogue AI agents in recent months and the wider discussion about how the technology could harm humanity.

Tech leaders behind the technology have also fallen under scrutiny. As recently as this week,Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was forced to resign after it was revealed that he had been in a relationship with a Chinese spy and a direct report in his company.

Finding Europe's role in the AI revolution

During the summit, a discussion about where Europe fits in within the AI movement is expected.

Leaders face questions on how to unlock AI's potential, how to catch up with China and the United States in the race for the technology, but also how to protect against the risks it poses to individuals and businesses.

The governments of Estonia and Finland wrote in a letter ahead of the summit that Europe must "establish EU-level arrangements for responding to serious AI incidents," calling for "developing advanced AI and governing it responsibly."

Meanwhile, Mistral has pushed back on calls to slow down AI development, urging Europe to push ahead.

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