US, EU plan AI road map at upcoming trade, technology council meeting

WASHINGTON :The United States and the European Union plan to release a new artificial intelligence road map that prioritizes security and risk management at the next meeting of their joint trade and technology council, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday.

Marisa Lago, commerce undersecretary for international trade, told an event hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that the document would be released at the next ministerial meeting of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council, on Dec. 5.

"We think that this is a mutual priority that is going to grow in scope as new AI applications come online and as more authoritarian regimes are taking a very different approach to the issues of security and risk management," she said.

Lago said U.S. and EU officials felt the document would be integral to ensuring that new technologies were deployed in line with shared democratic values and free-market principles.

It should also help ensure that small- and medium-sized U.S. and EU businesses are not locked out of new digital markets.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo met virtually with EU Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager on Wednesday to discuss TTC work, with a focus on issues such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors and information communication technology services, the Commerce Department said.

U.S. President Joe Biden's national security strategy tookaim at China, calling it the most consequential challenge to the global order, and underscoring the need for close cooperation with allies to contain its rise.