A comprehensive European industrial policy on AI and robotics

The European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy has adopted a final report on its own-initiative report “A comprehensive European industrial policy on artificial intelligence and robotics” with the aim to adopt a motion for a European Parliament Resolution. 

The final report includes the following topics:

a)  Potential of AI, machine learning, big data and robotics

• Acknowledges that AI, machine learning, exponential leaps in data availability and cloud computing fuel research initiatives to guide development of medical treatments and analyse data streams to detect health threats, predict disease outbreaks and counsel patients;
  
• Notes that data mining and navigation techniques can be used to identify care gaps, risks, trends and patterns;
  
• Notes that when AI is combined with human diagnosis the error rate tends to be significantly lower  than when with diagnosis by human doctors alone;
  
• Promotes the contribution of AI and robotics to innovative preventive, clinical and rehabilitation practices and techniques in the health sector, with particular reference to the benefits they have for patients with disabilities.
  

b)  Personalised healthcare 

• Acknowledges that the increased use of sensors in the field of robotics has enhanced the scope of care giving and enables patients to have more personalised treatment and services and generate more meaningful data;
  
• Recognises the impact AI has already had on wellness, prevention, diagnoses, research and its great potential for designing personalised care.
  

c)  EU world-leader in healthcare technologies

Calls on the Commission to work on strategies and policies that can position the EU as a world-leader in the growing field of health care technology.

d)  More transparency for citizens on AI use

Notes that citizens are concerned about not knowing when AI is being used and what information will be processed and therefore recommends that there is clear disclosure when AI is used.

Analysis

Should the European Parliament adopt the motion for a resolution, it would recognise the preeminent role that AI and robotics could play in personalised medicine and healthcare. Moreover, calling on the Commission to foster the position of the EU as a world-leader of healthcare technologies, would likely result in new strategies and legislative proposals on the agenda of the new Commission after the elections in May 2019.

Next steps

On basis of this final report, a motion for a European Parliament Resolution will likely be submitted to a vote in the Parliament’s Plenary session on 11 February 2019.

Background

Own-initiative (INI) reports are non-legislative reports initiated by the Members of the European Parliaments (MEPs), which are aimed at defining the European agenda in the early phase of the legislative cycle. They often pave the way for new legislative proposals, exploring various topics of interest to Members, responding to Commission communications and expressing Parliament's position on various aspects of European integration.