Search

The development of a European digital public space in which all European citizens could inform themselves about current affairs would be a great opportunity. While online platform operators from the United States and China provide various different digital media and also meeting spaces, these often lack democratic discourse and at the same time increase polarisation and division by concentrating and rewarding those types of content that generate outrage. Freedom of expression, and the possibility ...

This annual report of the European Parliament's Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) for the year 2022 provides a comprehensive account of European Parliament activity in promoting understanding of and research in the fields of science and technology assessment. The STOA Panel comprises 27 Members of the European Parliament representing 11 parliamentary committees.

There is growing interest in the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the agri-food sector, to extract or exploit the information in datasets resulting from the monitoring of products and processes. Artificial intelligence algorithms, and the models derived from them, are used as support systems for better decision making or, in some cases, are implemented in automatic control processes and robotics, to alleviate drudgery. In this study, sensing and data collection in different agri-food ...

Quantum technologies could be a game-changer in the digital transformation of health care. By enabling much faster and more complex data analysis, they could open the door to the accelerated discovery and development of novel therapeutics, improved diagnostics and treatments, including for rare and complex diseases, genuinely personalised medicine, and better data-driven health policy planning. However, as is also the case in other sectors, quantum technologies come with risks, particularly to cybersecurity ...

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been the subject of such strong political and social debate that the question of its suitability for its main original purpose – improving supply chain efficiency – may come as a surprise. What if AI really could help strategic sectors cope with pressure? More specifically, could the agri-food sector benefit from this technology to compensate for the shortages broadly forecast as a result of today's crises?

Biases are commonly considered one of the most detrimental effects of artificial intelligence (AI) use. The EU is therefore committed to reducing their incidence as much as possible. However, the existence of biases pre-dates the creation of AI tools. All human societies are biased – AI only reproduces what we are. Therefore, opposing this technology for this reason would simply hide discrimination and not prevent it. It is up to human supervision to use all available means – which are many – to ...

With a particular focus on artificial intelligence (AI), this study identifies and examines policy options for the EU's data governance framework that align with a data justice perspective. A data justice approach is one that centres on equity, recognition and representation of plural interests, and the creation and preservation of public goods as its principal goals. The analysis offers both an assessment of the EU data governance strategy overall and specific policy options for the AI act, the ...

The rapid growth of genetic databases worldwide, coupled with fast-decreasing costs and the rapid pace of technological change, has increased the possibility of every human genome on Earth being sequenced this century. This raises ethical and legal questions on data privacy and ownership. While a global genetic database would revolutionise preventive medicine and research, new forms of surveillance, discrimination and power imbalances could emerge. The global interplay between the individual, the ...

In recent years, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine and healthcare has been praised for the great promise it offers, but has also been at the centre of heated controversy. This study offers an overview of how AI can benefit future healthcare, in particular increasing the efficiency of clinicians, improving medical diagnosis and treatment, and optimising the allocation of human and technical resources. The report identifies and clarifies the main clinical, social and ethical risks ...

This study identifies and examines sources of regulatory divergence within the AI act regarding the obligations and limitations upon public and private sector actors when using certain AI systems. A reflection upon possible impacts and consequences is provided, and a range of policy options is suggested for the European Parliament that could respond to the identified sources of divergence. The study is specifically focused on three AI application areas: manipulative AI, social scoring and biometric ...