The EU prides itself on being a global innovator in artificial intelligence regulation. Indeed, August 1, 2024 saw a historic moment as the world's first comprehensive legislation on AI started coming into force. Now, as of February 2 of this year, some of the most crucial provisions of the EU's landmark AI Act have come into effect: those that have to do with preventing unacceptable risk such as social scoring, or scraping the internet for the purposes of facial recognition. Also this month, Paris hosted a global AI Action Summit.

But for the EU, artificial intelligence is not just something to regulate. Brussels also wants to use AI to sharpen its own global competitiveness vis-à-vis China and the United States. Europe attracts only 6 percent of global funding for AI startups, compared to 61 percent in the US and 17 percent in China.

With our panel of MEPs, we discuss how the EU can close these innovation gaps, as well as how to deal with the challenges posed by US President Donald Trump's administration in the AI tech sector.

Programme prepared by Isabelle Romero, Perrine Desplats and Luke Brown