Last month, the European Commission appointed 52 experts to its newly-established High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence (AI HLG).  Consisting of representatives from academia, civil society, as well as industry, the AI HLG’s is tasked with supporting the implementation of the European strategy on AI.

The European Commission announced the formation of the AI HLG in March of this year of this year, and the launch of the group follows other recent action the Commission has taken in the AI space these last few months, including the publication of its “Artificial Intelligence for Europe” communication, which we previously discussed.  The AI HLG’s mandate consists of three key components:

1. Providing the Commission Advice. The AI HLG will advise the Commission on next steps addressing AI-related mid- to long-term challenges and opportunities through recommendations which will feed into the policy development process, the legislative evaluation process and the development of a next-generation digital strategy.

2. Proposing AI Ethics Guidelines. One of the AI HLG’s most important objectives will be drafting AI ethics guidelines that will build on the work of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies and of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.  The guidelines will cover issues such as fairness, safety, transparency, the future of work, and more broadly the impact on upholding fundamental rights, including privacy and personal data protection, dignity, consumer protection and non-discrimination.  The Commission has indicated the draft guidelines will be finalized by the end of this year and presented to the Commission at the beginning of 2019.

3. Supporting Broader Public Outreach. The AI HLG will also assist the Commission engage in broader public outreach by serving as a steering group for the European AI Alliance’s work.  The European AI Alliance and its online platform aim to stimulate debate on AI, and are open to any individual who would like to participate in the debate on AI in Europe.  The Commission intends for the Alliance to provide a forum to share best practices, contribute to the AI ethics guidelines, network and encourage activities related to the development of AI.

The Commission put out a call for applications to membership in the AI HLG in March.  The final selection of experts includes industry representatives from a cross-section of enterprises and civil society organizations.  A full list of appointed experts is available on the Commission’s website.