Cuardaigh
Artificial intelligence, democracy and elections
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a powerful tool thanks to technological advances, access to large amounts of data, machine learning and increased computing power. The release of ChatGPT at the end of 2022 was a new breakthrough in AI. It demonstrated the vast range of possibilities involved in adapting general-purpose AI to a wide array of tasks and in getting generative AI to generate synthetic content based on prompts entered by the user. In a just a few years' time, a very large share ...
The 2023 G20 Summit: A deepening rift heralding an uncertain future
The 2023 G20 Summit will take place in New Delhi, India, on 9 and 10 September. In preparation for the summit, the G20 Presidency has focused on six priorities consistent with those of the G7, namely green development, inclusive growth, progress on the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs), technological transformation, multilateral institutions for the 21st century, and women-led development. The G20's informal nature makes it a vital global platform, gathering the leaders of all major ...
EU Company law: Expanding and upgrading the use of digital tools and processes
The initiative's objective is to facilitate the use of digital tools and processes in EU company law. The problem definition appears to be well supported by evidence. The IA substantiates the nature and scale of the problem, as well as who it affects (business registers, public authorities, businesses, citizens/ consumers) and how. The policy options are not alternatives to each other but each one of them is a group of (sub-) options for each of the four intervention areas. The sub-options under ...
EU chips act
On 8 February 2022, the European Commission put forward a proposal for a regulation setting up a framework of measures to strengthen Europe's semiconductor ecosystem (the 'chips act'). Following a provisional political agreement reached between the co-legislators on 18 April 2023, the European Parliament is due to vote on adopting the act during the July plenary session. The Council could then follow suit, finalising the legislative procedure at first reading.
Revision of the EU legislation on medicines for children and rare diseases
On 26 April 2023, the European Commission launched a revision of the EU's pharmaceutical legislation, including legislation on medicines for children and for rare diseases. Since the early 2000s, the EU legislative framework has provided a complex set of obligations, incentives and rewards to stimulate the development of medicines for children and for rare disease patients. Over the last 20 years, the EU legislation has led to the development of new medicines for these categories of patients. The ...
Artificial intelligence [What Think Tanks are thinking]
On 14 June 2023, the European Parliament adopted its negotiating position on the draft Artificial Intelligence Act, strengthening some provisions to protect people better from potential violations of their fundamental rights. Following this vote, Parliament will start negotiations with the national governments and the European Commission on the final shape of the legislation, which will be a decisive step in the European Union becoming the world’s first region to regulate artificial intelligence ...
Artificial intelligence [What Think Tanks are thinking]
The recent launches of artificial intelligence (AI) tools capable of generating direct textual answers to questions, notably the chatbot ChatGPT, and the development of general-purpose AI technologies, are expected to revolutionise the application of AI in society and the economy. New AI tools in general offer massive potential for developments in industry, agriculture, health, education and other areas. However, many scientists and politicians are calling for the establishment of a legal and ethical ...
Artificial intelligence in the agri-food sector: Applications, risks and impacts
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 ...
Progress on the European Commission's 2021-2027 digital education action plan
In a rapidly changing and increasingly digital world, the COVID-19 pandemic has further increased the need to develop the use of technology in education and training. Appropriate skills and competences, as well as digital infrastructure and equipment, are key in this regard. When adapting education to the digital age, ensuring equity and inclusion is crucial, too. The 2021-2027 digital education action plan (DEAP), the European Commission's flagship initiative adopted in September 2020, calls for ...
Briefing for a delegation of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality to New York and Washington, D.C. - 5-11 March 2023
This Briefing, written by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the FEMM Committee, provides background information for the FEMM Delegation to New York and Washington, D.C. scheduled from 5 to 11 March 2023. It includes information on the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), a functional commission of the United Nation’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated ...