When it comes to AI, the EU is a very small fish in a very big pond IT PRO

Now, I think there are very few people that disagree with the idea that the development of artificial intelligence needs some guardrails, and I applaud efforts to create a standard for the rest of the world to follow. The only issue is that the EU isn't exactly a world leader when it comes to AI. Speaking at Microsoft's Data Science and Law forum earlier this month, Guntram Wolff, director of Brussels-based economic think tank Bruegel, explained to me that of the 30 leading AI patents out there, only four are from European applicants. Of what are considered to be the 100 most exciting startups in AI from around the world, there are only two operating in Europe (excluding the UK, more on that later). Wolff has previously expressed doubt over the EU's ability to maintain relevance in this space, and has urged the EU to invest more in artificial intelligence or else risk an over-reliance on services from other countries, namely the US and China - services which could be disrupted or even withdrawn in times of crisis. I'm not going to touch on those issues, as Wolff has already expertly explored this in his Politico piece.