EU To Invest €1.3bn in AI, Cybersecurity, Digital Skills

The European Union has confirmed a tranche of funding, as it looks to bolster its AI and cybersecurity capabilities while Donald Trump’s United States moves away from this side of the Atlantic.

The European Commission announced that “will allocate €1.3 billion (£1 billion or $1.4 billion) for the deployment of critical technologies that are strategically important for the future of Europe and the continent’s tech sovereignty through the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) work programme for 2025 to 2027 adopted today.”

The Commission noted that the work programme focuses on the deployment of AI and its uptake by businesses and public administration, cloud and data, cyber resilience and digital skills.

Tech sovereignty

“Securing European tech sovereignty starts with investing in advanced technologies and in making it possible for people to improve their digital competences,” said Henna Virkkunen, executive VP for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy.

“With the opportunities under the Digital Europe Programme, we are ensuring that new technologies – and with them new potential – reach European citizens, businesses and public administrations.”

The Commission said that EU’s DIGITAL work programme will focus on the following key priorities:

• Improving the availability and accessibility of generative AI applications, including in the health and care sectors. Available funding will go towards testing immersive environments, known as ‘virtual worlds’, implementing the AI Act and deploying energy efficient common data spaces. These measures are key to the implementation of the AI Factories initiative to develop generative AI models for businesses and the public sector.
• Supporting the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs). This is a network of hubs that provides companies and the public sector with access to technical expertise and testing of technologies, as well as with advice, training and skills to adopt the latest technologies. It will promote the widespread take-up of AI in private and public organisations across Europe.
• Building-up the Destination Earth initiative that is working to build a digital model of Earth to support climate adaptation and disaster risk management. Funding will build a more powerful model that more researchers can access.
• Boosting cyber resilience. Cybersecurity solutions such as the EU Cybersecurity Reserve will improve the resilience and security of critical infrastructures including hospitals and submarine cables.
• Developing EU education and training institutions’ capacity in digital skills so they may nurture and attract talent while boosting advanced skills in the European workforce.
• Facilitating the new EU Digital Identity Wallet architecture and the European Trust Infrastructure, as well as promoting its adoption in Member States.
• Stimulating the transformation of the public sector by developing efficient, high-quality, interoperable digital public services.

UK AI

It comes after the UK Labour government sought to build on the AI regulation lead established by the previous Conservative government.

In January British Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer said the UK government was aiming to make the country an AI “superpower” with a pro-innovation approach to regulation

The UK’s AI plan will involve making public data available to researchers and creating growth zones for the development of infrastructure projects such as large data centres.

The government will also aim to use AI to boost the delivery of public services, using it to support the NHS and to spot potholes.

But in February both the United States and United Kingdom did not sign an international AI declaration in Paris that pledged an “open”, “inclusive” and “ethical” approach to the technology’s development.

The refusal of the two nations to sign the declaration dashes hopes of a concerted approach to developing and regulating the technology.

Yetthis week both the UK and France took leadership roles (driven by the absence of Trump’s America) of the so called military focused ‘Coalition of the Willing’.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday hosted European leaders and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky for a summit aimed at boosting Ukrainian security ahead of any potential ceasefire with Russia.