The Center for Data Innovation submitted feedback to the European Commission’s High-Level Expert Group (HLEG) on AI on its draft AI Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI. The guidelines aim to provide concrete guidance on how to implement and operationalize “trustworthy AI” systems that “maximize the benefits of AI while minimizing its risks.” While this goal is worthwhile, the guidelines have five main problems: 1) they present an overall negative tone towards AI; 2) they overlook the importance of EU leadership on AI adoption as a means of influencing global AI ethics; 3) they incorrectly suggest that developing a European AI ethics governance system will allow the EU to significantly differentiate its AI solutions, thereby gaining global market share; 4) they inaccurately frame AI as a technology that requires ethical tradeoffs, instead of one that can be used to improve ethical behavior; and 5) they propose principles such as transparency and explainability that would limit AI development.
Recommendations to the European Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on AI on its “Draft AI Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI”
Eline Chivot
Eline Chivot is a former senior policy analyst at the Center for Data Innovation. Based in Brussels, Eline focuses on European technology policy issues and on how policymakers can promote digital innovation in the EU. Prior to joining the Center for Data Innovation, Eline Chivot worked for several years in the Netherlands as policy analyst in a leading think tank, where her work included research projects on defense, security and economic policy issues. More recently, Eline worked at one of Brussels’ largest trade associations and managed its relations with representatives of the digital tech industry in Europe and beyond. Eline earned master’s degrees in political science and economics from Sciences Po, and in strategic management and business administration from the University of Lille.
Daniel Castro
Daniel Castro is president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the world’s top-ranked think tank for science and technology policy, where he leads the organization’s work shaping debates on critical issues at the intersection of technological innovation and public policy. He is a prolific writer and respected public speaker on issues ranging from Internet policy and digital governance to artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Castro also founded and is director of ITIF’s Center for Data Innovation, a leading voice on open data, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation. He has played a key role in advancing the OPEN Government Data Act and has long worked on the policy and economic impact of data-driven innovation. His work on AI spans a broad range of policy issues, including adoption and diffusion, privacy and security, intellectual property, deepfakes and information integrity, and the economic and competitive dynamics of AI, as well as global competition and governance—particularly in China and Europe.
