Europe – In a decisive move to reclaim technological leadership and ensure European strategic sovereignty, the Confederation of Laboratories for Artificial Intelligence Research in Europe (CLAIRE) and the European robotics association euRobotics, two leading European non-profit organisations in the area of AI and robotics, have announced an ambitious plan to establish Europe as a powerhouse in trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) by 2030.
This ‘moonshot’ aims to provide European citizens, industries, and public organisations with reliable and ethical AI alternatives, creating systems aligned with European values and boosting global competitiveness. The initiative calls for a pan-European effort, pooling talent and resources to overcome the current technological dependency on non-European big tech firms.
CLAIRE’s Chairman of the Board, Holger Hoos, who holds an Alexander von Humboldt professorship in AI at RWTH Aachen University in Germany, remarked, “Europe has a storied history of rising to technological challenges and emerging with global solutions. From CERN to the European Space Agency, we’ve turned collaboration into innovation. Now, as AI begins to permeate every aspect of our work and lives, it’s imperative we forge our own path, ensuring the broad availability of trustworthy AI systems with European values at their core.”
Bernd Liepert, president of euRobotics, emphasised the urgency, stating, “The window for Europe to take the reins in AI, as a key technology, is narrowing. We must act swiftly and decisively. This moonshot isn’t just about technology; it’s about shaping a future that adheres to our standards of equality, democracy, and trustworthiness.”
The moonshot plan entails a substantial investment estimated at €100 billion over six years, leveraging Europe’s strong tradition of excellence in research and innovation. The envisioned ‘CERN for AI’ will serve as the central hub for this transformative mission, fostering collaboration among leading AI competence centres and attracting global talent.
The project echoes Europe’s past successes in collaborative technological achievements, aiming to bring critical AI infrastructure and technology under European democratic control, while also addressing pressing global challenges such as climate change, health, and inequality.
The call to action is clear: Europe must not only join but lead the AI race. With public funding, a clear vision, and cooperative action, this moonshot aims to secure a future where AI is trustworthy, multicultural, and quintessentially European.
Moonshot Proposal: https://eu-robotics.net/wp-content/uploads/Moonshot-proposal.pdf
About CLAIRE
The Confederation of Laboratories for Artificial Intelligence Research in Europe (CLAIRE, claire-ai.org) is an international non-profit association created by the European AI community that seeks to strengthen European excellence in AI research and innovation, with a strong focus on human-centred AI. CLAIRE aims to establish a world-wide brand recognition for “trustworthy AI made in Europe” (at the level of CERN), and to position Europe in control of its own future. Launched in June 2018, with offices in The Hague, Saarbrücken, Prague, Rome, Brussels, Oslo, Paris and Zürich, and with over 460 members, covering jointly more than 24,000 employees in 37 countries, CLAIRE has the support of the vast majority of Europe’s AI community, spanning academia and industry, research and innovation, as well as of nine European countries, and over 30 scientific associations across all of Europe. CLAIRE is a founding member of the AI, Data and Robotics Association (ADRA), and the CLAIRE vision for European excellence in AI is supported by the European Association for Artificial Intelligence (EurAI), by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) and by the European Space Agency (ESA).
About euRobotics
euRobotics (eu-robotics.net) is an international non-profit association for all stakeholders in European robotics. Established in September 2012 and serving its founding purpose: to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and to ensure industrial leadership of manufacturers, providers and end-users of robotics technology-based systems and services, it forms the largest network of roboticists and business in Europe with about 250 institutional members, covering small and large companies, associations and institutions, universities, laboratories and RTOs. The objectives of euRobotics are to boost European robotics research, development and innovation, to foster a positive perception of robotics, to support the widest and most effective uptake of robotics technologies and services for professional and private use, and to ensure the excellence of the robotics science base in Europe is maintained. euRobotics is a founding member of the AI, Data and Robotics Association (ADRA) and was the private partner in the SPARC partnership with the EC during Horizon 2020.
For additional information or to schedule an interview, please contact
Alexa Kodde < alexa.kodde@claire-ai.org > or Dr.Reinhard Lafrenz < reinhard.lafrenz@eu-robotics.net >