The EP AIDA committee rapporteur has acknowledged in his work the importance of such issues raised by the CoR Opinion as the need to focus on how to achieve an ecosystem of AI excellence. The EP AIDA rapporteur has stated that European success in the area of AI hinges on 1) the digital infrastructure, deployment of broadband and 5G technology and quantum computing, and 2) the need to educate people to acquire digital and AI skills at all stages of education and employment. Both of these aspects are in line with the CoR political work on this subject. They have been included into the road map for Europe to reap the benefits of artificial intelligence, adopted by the EP AIDA committee on 13 January 2022.
Moreover, in the area of regulatory policy priorities, the European Parliament has pledged to prioritise AI, along with platforms and cryptocurrencies in its work in 2022. More specifically, Parliament has called for a comprehensive legal framework for artificial intelligence technologies and cryptocurrencies. The goal is to boost the European economy, while protecting the fundamental rights of consumers and investors. These concerns were stressed in all the inter-institutional contacts of the CoR rapporteur. However, work still needs to be done to ensure taht the EU Regulation in the field of Artificial Intelligence explicitly allow regions and cities to participate in the monitoring of AI systems and report on their implementation.
