Today the European Commission is presenting its new, long-awaited regulation on Artificial Intelligence (AI). This focus on AI on the part of the European Commission brings forward not only valuable questions for the continued evolution and safe deployment of this technology, but opportunities for ensuring the digital sovereignty of Europe for the future.
To help address these questions and provide support to the deployment of AI in Europe, European standards play a key role. To organise and develop standardization work on this issue, CEN and CENELEC have established the CEN-CENELEC Joint Technical Committee 21 ‘Artificial Intelligence’.
This group brings together experts that will implement and lead the recommendations available in CEN and CENELEC’s response to the EC White Paper on AI and CEN and CENELEC’s Road Map on AI. The Joint Technical Committee, whose Secretariat is held by DS, the Danish Standardization Body, will be responsible for the development and adoption of standards for AI and related data, as well as provide guidance to other Technical Committees concerned with AI.
Standards are relevant for the evolution of AI for a variety of reasons:
- they provide expertise to an emerging technology, ensuring safety and security for products and services;
- they are intrinsically designed to be an inclusive and market-driven instrument of support for European regulation through the New Legislative Framework, benefitting the Single Market and reducing barriers to trade.
Together, standards build trust and boost innovation for all stakeholders: European businesses and SMEs, societal, environmental and policy makers. For this reason, CEN and CENELEC are ready to support the European Commission in its work related to fostering a safe and sustainable adoption of AI for the well-being of the whole EU.
Constant KOHLER
ckohler@cencenelec.eu
