EC Starts €200 Million European AI Push

The European Commission has identified smart cities, agriculture, manufacturing, and healthcare as focus areas for a series of AI and robotics projects. The EC reserved a total of €200 million in funding for those projects.

Four schemes would receive between €40 million and €60 million each over five years, covering sectors deemed high impact. The funding comes from a central EC pot with individual European Union member states also contributing. It is intended to be used to create world-class testing facilities for AI and robotics, and ultimately increase the uptake of the technologies in Europe.

Projects covering agriculture, health, industry, and cities and communities kicked off at the start of the year and will provide testing and experimentation facilities for companies using modern AI systems in real-world environments. The EC noted the quartet is an important part of building the AI ecosystem of excellence and trust to support Europe’s strategic leadership in the field.

Fundings will also contribute to related legislation. Testing facilities are the latest push by authorities to drive adoption in the EU and secure the continent’s position in the nascent sector, which is also being heavily funded by companies and authorities in other parts of the world.