Before AI governs us: Europe’s opportunity to act

• Development and External Relations Service

As artificial intelligence evolves at unprecedented speed, Europe faces a narrowing window to shape how these technologies are governed. This debate explored how the EU can act proactively to ensure that democratic institutions retain control over the societal impact of AI.

Technological innovation in artificial intelligence is advancing on a timescale that increasingly outpaces traditional policymaking cycles. This growing asymmetry risks shifting influence over key societal functions away from democratic institutions towards private actors developing and deploying AI systems.

Bringing together perspectives from academia and the European Commission, this session examined whether Europe can still act decisively to shape the governance of AI, or whether the opportunity to do so is already narrowing.

The discussion focused on strategic, regulatory, and institutional dimensions of AI governance, identifying potential pathways for timely and effective policy action at EU level.

This initiative is part of the EUI Science for Policy Interface.