European Union leaders gathered in Dublin on Friday for their first ever summit dedicated to artificial intelligence, to debate how the bloc can catch up with the United States and China and tackle funding issues and other problems holding the sector back.
The meeting comes amid mounting worries about a technology that promises to transform industries and societies but in recent months has caused alarm after a series of incidents involving rogue AI agents.
"Given the rapid pace of AI development, I believe that a first dedicated discussion, at leaders' level, is now needed on the opportunities presented by AI, as well as on its transformative effect on our economies and societies," European Council President Antonio Costa wrote in an invitation letter to EU leaders last week.
Leaders will hear from Mistral AI chief executive Arthur Mensch and Nobel Prize-winning AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, and will assess how to overcome problems such as red tape and set guardrails for the technology. The discussion is expected to cover computing power, cloud infrastructure, chips and models, as Europe seeks to become what Costa called "a leading and sovereign player" across the AI value chain.
Ukraine has been added as a second major topic on the agenda, a day after US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner flew into Dublin to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. EU leaders are likely to discuss European involvement in peace negotiations and the potential security guarantees the bloc could offer in the event of a ceasefire, as well as Ukraine's funding needs.
The summit follows Thursday's European Political Community gathering in Dublin, the largest assembly of international leaders ever hosted in Ireland, at which around 40 European countries signed a common security declaration. It is being held as part of Ireland's six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union, with Taoiseach Micheal Martin hosting counterparts at Dublin's Convention Centre. A press conference is provisionally scheduled for 4:15 p.m. local time.
