Roberto Viola discusses Europe’s technological edge and future challenges.
The European Union doesn’t want extra AI rules, in keeping with Roberto Viola, Director Common of DG CONNECT, the European Fee’s division chargeable for the regulation of digital applied sciences.
Within the ultimate episode of our Euronews Digital Summer season collection, Viola discusses the complexities of triggering the “digital industrial revolution” and sustaining Europe’s lead in expertise, particularly in areas like platform regulation, synthetic intelligence, and cybersecurity.
Viola has led DG CONNECT since 2015 and holds a Doctorate in Digital Engineering. Earlier than his present position, he served because the Secretary Common of AGCOM, Italy’s media and telecom regulator. His profession additionally contains management positions in numerous European regulatory our bodies.
Because the formation of the brand new Faculty of Commissioners takes form, Viola displays on his expertise inside the European Fee and the challenges that lie forward for Europe’s digital future.
Euronews: What do you see as the principle priorities for the upcoming Fee?
Roberto Viola: The brand new Fee is stepping in at a pivotal second for Europe. We face a posh worldwide panorama, with battle at our borders and uncertainties about the way forward for our economic system and competitiveness. Main international occasions are influencing politics all over the world, which can influence Europe as properly.
Know-how has turn out to be central to our industrial technique, competitiveness, and efforts to realize sustainability. For instance, we want superior expertise for batteries, photo voltaic panels, and extra environment friendly various vitality distribution.
All of this includes new supplies, AI, and the digitisation of vitality grids. There’s a elementary connection between enhancing management of our vitality programs and rising the digitisation of these programs.
Euronews: What extra must be achieved within the discipline of AI?
Viola: AI is a dynamic and quickly evolving discipline, and it’s essential for enhancing competitiveness and productiveness. To advance additional, Europe must put money into top-tier computing infrastructure to develop cutting-edge algorithms.
Constructing an ecosystem round these infrastructures—what we name AI factories—will foster collaboration between startups, researchers, and established industries to drive innovation.
It’s additionally important for SMEs and smaller corporations to undertake AI. As AI continues to develop, we should make sure that rules are simple but efficient in safeguarding residents.
I don’t suppose extra AI regulation is required. Now we now have the AI Act, which is a really complete act that now must be utilized.
Along with the opposite components of the European rulebook: the Digital Companies Act (DSA), the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Knowledge Act, they kind the enabling guidelines of Europe for the longer term. In the meanwhile, I feel the precedence ought to be imposing these guidelines that exist.
Euronews: Do you suppose it is very important have some degree of worldwide harmonised enforcement guidelines?
Viola: Sure, I imagine it’s essential, particularly when collaborating with worldwide companions and allies, to realize a shared understanding of methods to govern AI and its improvement. We now have established sturdy working relationships with a number of AI security places of work globally, notably with the US AI Security Workplace.
We’re dedicated to sustaining these connections and cooperating with the protection places of work within the UK, Japan, Korea, and Canada to kind a coalition of like-minded nations with related goals.
We’re additionally energetic in implementing the G-7 rules regarding AI regulation.
Euronews: The European Fee is at present hiring for its AI Workplace and to strengthen its DSA unit. How difficult is it to search out the suitable expertise for these roles?
Viola: Initially, I anticipated that discovering the suitable expert expertise could be fairly difficult. In actuality, nonetheless, we now have acquired a whole bunch of functions. I wish to joke that it’s as a result of individuals need to work on the “proper facet of the drive”.
We’re seeing a very sturdy curiosity from younger professionals keen to hitch the European Fee and contribute to the protection of AI and social media. Additionally, we now have candidates from the non-public sector who want to apply their expertise to serve all European residents, which is significantly appreciated.
We’re at present within the first wave of recruitment for the AI Workplace, and new group members are beginning to be part of us. We’re additionally making vital progress in recruiting for the DSA and DMA groups, that are quickly changing into sturdy, dynamic groups. I’m regularly impressed by the extent of experience we now have been in a position to assemble in such a brief interval.
Euronews: How can the Fee make sure that the EU stays on the forefront of rising applied sciences like quantum computing?
Viola: Alongside AI, the quantum 2.0 revolution represents a big shift in our economic system and society, influencing just about each facet of our actions. Quantum computing holds the promise of unlocking extra highly effective algorithms for AI, aiding the invention of recent supplies, enhancing quantum sensing capabilities for developments in medication, and enhancing the detection of pure sources. The potential is immense, and Europe can’t afford to overlook this chance.
To handle this, we’re making substantial investments in analysis and expertise. In truth, public funding on this space is the place Europe excels on a world scale. Nevertheless, we’re at present lagging in attracting non-public capital, which is essential for complementing public funding. Convincing industrial corporations and traders to decide to quantum applied sciences—particularly compared to the USA—is crucial. Public funding alone won’t be ample to realize a transformative leap ahead.
Euronews: Do you anticipate new cybersecurity laws from the upcoming Fee? A overview of the EU Cybersecurity Act, CSA, continues to be on the agenda?
Viola: Cybersecurity includes defending vital corporations, residents, and infrastructure. This requires each superior expertise and efficient implementation of present programs and guidelines, such because the Cyber Resilience Act, which applies cybersecurity measures to each gadget.
We’re enhancing our expertise capabilities and member state cooperation, together with by safety operation centres that utilise AI, as a part of the Cyber Solidarity Act. We’re additionally bolstering our emergency response capacities.
The overview of the EU Cybersecurity Act, which units the foundations for cyber certification, has been accomplished. We’re awaiting the brand new Fee to evaluate what’s working and what wants enchancment, reminiscent of streamlining and simplifying laws.
As highlighted within the President’s pointers, we additionally goal to enhance the resilience of our healthcare system, which stays essentially the most weak space in cybersecurity.
Euronews: How would you assess the work achieved by the Fee through the previous mandate?
Viola: The final 5 years have been unprecedented in some ways. It’s fairly ironic that the Fee’s digital technique was printed at first of February 2020, simply earlier than the world modified with the lockdown. We demonstrated that society may proceed functioning throughout lockdown by digital applied sciences, reminiscent of e-signatures and Covid certificates.
These years have been about constructing capabilities, establishing guidelines, and laying the groundwork. The subsequent 5 years can be essential for refining these initiatives and utilizing them to boost Europe’s competitiveness.
This effort is a part of a broader ten-year imaginative and prescient often known as the Digital Decade. Whereas we’ve seen progress within the first 5 years, we’ll must assess how the subsequent part unfolds to totally consider our success.
One space the place progress continues to be wanted is the digital industrial revolution. The digital industrial revolution hasn’t clicked but. Europe’s economic system is powerful in conventional industries, however the progress of recent corporations, notably these scaling past the start-up part.
Euronews: You’ve been Director-Common of DG CONNECT since 2015. Are you already contemplating the subsequent steps in your profession?
In the beginning, we have to see how the Fee’s organisation and management can be structured. As soon as that’s clearer, we will talk about my future. For now, my precedence stays centered on the present position and duties.