European Union leaders met in Dublin on Friday at the first ever summit on artificial intelligence (AI). The meeting came at a critical moment, as the bloc seeks a unified policy on the rapidly evolving technology.
The meeting took place in Dublin's Convention Center, which was also the meeting place of the European Political Community summit this week.
French AI company Mistral's CEO Arthur Mensch, as well as Nobel-prize winner and researcher Geoffrey Hinton, widely known as the "godfather of AI," spoke to EU leaders at the summit.
"Europe has all the technology and the talent to lead the AI race," Mensch said during the event. "What it needs is speed, financing and a strong coordination between member states."
Mensch urged the leaders to "act now" to stay competitive with the US and China in regards to AI development.
"AI is the most important technology of our time," European Council President Antonio Costa said in a post on X regarding the summit. "Europe must make the most of its benefits, from higher productivity to better public services. We must also manage the risks and changes it will bring — and help set global standards for responsible governance and safe, human-centric AI."
The summit took place at a time of mounting worries about the emerging technology, which promises to transform industries…
