\u201cEthics and competitiveness are intertwined, theyre dovetailed\u201d \u2014 Pekka Ala-Pietil\u00e4<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Its Europes shot at defining the conditions under which AI can be deployed in its vast internal market \u2014 just as the worlds tech giants, the vast majority of whom come from the U.S. or China, are moving to establish their own set of standards<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cEthics and competitiveness are intertwined, theyre dovetailed,\u201d Ala-Pietil\u00e4 said during an interview in the Finnish capital, describing his role as chairman of the group as \u201cprimus inter pares<\/em>\u201d (first among equals).<\/p>\n An economist by training, Ala-Pietil\u00e4 spent more than two decades climbing the ranks of tech giant Nokia. He co-founded a tech company and sits on the boards of software companies SAP and Netcompany. In recent years, he has also ventured into politics, advising the Finnish government on tech policy.<\/p>\n As Europe pushes ahead with establishing principles for the use of artificial intelligence, Ala-Pietil\u00e4 told POLITICO that for the Continent to be competitive, it equally has to avoid rushing into regulation.<\/p>\n Rules for how to implement AI technology shouldnt be based on pre-existing laws but rather take shape along with the technology itself, Ala-Pietil\u00e4 argued | Image via iStock<\/p>\n Europe should now \u2014\u201cex ante\u201d<\/em> (before the event) \u2014 come up with \u201cbroad horizontal principles\u201d for the ethical use of AI \u201cbased on the core values in Europe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n But the actual rules for how to implement AI technology shouldnt be based on pre-existing laws but rather take shape along with the technology itself, as courts issue rulings for their use, he said:<\/p>\n \u201cWe foresee that it might be actually reasonable to think of the regulation as a common law-based phenomenon, where you regulate ex-post, you also give room for self-regulation and you \u2026 understand when to regulate and when not to regulate.\u201d<\/p>\n A global race for AI \u2014 allowing machines to do jobs that previously required human thinking \u2014 has taken off and Europe, despite strong basic research, has so far been watching from the sidelines as American and Chinese tech firms battle over who will dominate the field.<\/p>\n The U.S. remains the world leader but China has caught up by boosting research and granting its AI industry subsidies and access to data from more than 1.4 billion citizens protected only by scant privacy laws.<\/p>\n In what was largely perceived as a response to Beijings ambitions, the Trump administration pledged<\/a> to give American AI researchers and developers in the U.S. free rein, suggesting they dont need to fear overburdening regulation.<\/p>\n The status quo is that much of todays cutting-edge expertise in applied AI remains in the hands of a few private American and Chinese companies such as Google, Amazon or Alibaba.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The European Union laid out its own plan to enter the race in a strategy unveiled in April, not by copying the Chinese or American approach, but by becoming a world leader in ethically responsibly artificial intelligence<\/a>. As AI increasingly raises concerns about privacy, discrimination and cybersecurity, the bloc wants to make the algorithmic decision-making process at the core of AI technologies transparent and set fair rules for their use. This, the EU hopes, will boost consumer trust in European AI applications.<\/p>\n Ala-Pietil\u00e4 said he believes this will give companies \u201ca great incentive to create products or services where ethics is part of their competitive advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n But those plans aside, the status quo is that much of todays cutting-edge expertise in applied AI remains in the hands of a few private American and Chinese companies such as Google, Amazon or Alibaba.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a European it does [worry me,]\u201d Ala-Pietil\u00e4 acknowledged. \u201cBut the total picture is more multifaceted.\u201d<\/p>\n Tech companies from abroad, he said, mainly operate in the business-to-consumer market. But there are \u201ctwo other key markets, the business-to-business market, and the public-to-citizens services market\u201d and Europe could likely become a world leader in those fields, he believes.<\/p>\n It was in the early 1980s when Ala-Pietil\u00e4, for the first time in his career, got acquainted with artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n He was finishing research at the Helsinki School of Economics and about to move over to the leadership of Nokia. During a visit to the company, he ran into a group of AI researchers that the companys then-CEO Kari Kairamo \u2014 \u201ca very visionary man\u201d \u2014 had invited over.<\/p>\n Unprecedented troves of data have turned artificial intelligence from a science-fiction scenario into day-to-day applications | Daniel Roland\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a lot of future, futuristic thoughts [about] what AI could do, but very, very little evidence,\u201d he remembered. \u201cFirst and foremost it was a visionary view what AI could do once technical capabilities would match the needed level of enablers to realize the vision.\u201d<\/p>\n More than three decades later, that time has come: A recent boost in computing power, the emergence of cloud computing as well as unprecedented troves of data have turned artificial intelligence from a science-fiction scenario into day-to-day applications.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have seen something which is difficult to imagine,\u201d Ala-Pietil\u00e4 said, \u201cwhich is when the acceleration is accelerated \u2014 the second derivative is accelerating.\u201d<\/p>\n His most imminent task is steering Europes AI expert group \u2014 described by its own members as \u201cvery very heterogeneous when it comes to opinions and backgrounds\u201d \u2014 toward two sets of recommendations that everyone can agree on by the end of the year.<\/p>\n \u201cYou eat the elephant by slicing it,\u201d he said, adding that the group has agreed on common targets and is currently working in smaller subgroups on \u201cworkable subsets,\u201d which they plan to patch together \u201cas a complete fabric when this project will come to a finishing line.\u201d<\/p>\n Their recommendations will set the tone for the EUs upcoming rules for AI but Ala-Pietil\u00e4 seemed surprised when asked whether the responsibility that comes with the job intimidates him.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd those entities which can learn faster what works, what doesnt, and which can do the mid-term course corrections while they are learning, they will find the most rewarding roads of applying AI\u201d \u2014 Pekka Ala-Pietil\u00e4<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cIt makes you very humble,\u201d he replied, shifting the conversation back to the question of how to boost innovation through the right form of governance.<\/p>\n Referring to economist and Nobel Prize-winner Robert Solow, who wrote in 1957 that its not just labor and capital but also technological innovation that spurs economic growth, Ala-Pietil\u00e4 said he believes the growth of Europes economy will depend, at least in part, on whether the Continent can come up with a regulatory framework for AI that fosters innovation.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will be difficult, but its almost down to a very simple thing, and this is: What is the capability of individuals, societies, corporations to learn?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd those entities which can learn faster what works, what doesnt, and which can do the mid-term course corrections while they are learning, they will find the most rewarding roads of applying AI.\u201d<\/p>\n Original Article<\/a><\/p>\n [contf] [contfnew] HELSINKI \u2014 In a global race to dominate artificial intellige..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":98456,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech"],"yoast_head":"\n![](\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/iStock-656972352-714x460.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\nEurope entering the global race for AI<\/h3>\n
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Science fiction to daily life<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/GettyImages-610509094-714x418.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\nSlicing an elephant<\/h3>\n
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Read this next: Pressure mounts on Belgian government over Libya payments<\/a><\/em><\/h2>\n
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