THE EUROPEAN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE OFFICE

The European Artificial Intelligence Office is part of the administrative structure of the Directorate-General for Communication Networks, Content and Technology (

Mission and tasks

1.   The Office shall perform the tasks set out in Article 3 for the purposes of implementing and enforcing the forthcoming Regulation laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (the ‘forthcoming Regulation’).

2.   The Office shall has the following additional tasks:

(a) contribute to the strategic, coherent and effective Union approach to international initiatives on AI in coordination with Member States and in line with Union positions and policies;

(b) contribute to fostering actions and policies in the Commission that reap the societal and economic benefits of AI technologies;

(c) support the accelerated development, roll-out and use of trustworthy AI systems and applications that bring societal and economic benefits that contribute to the competitiveness and the economic growth of the Union. In particular, the Office promotes innovation ecosystems by working with relevant public and private actors and the startup community;

(d) monitor the evolution of AI markets and technologies.

3.   In the performance of the tasks the Office

(a) works together with stakeholders, in particular experts from the scientific community and AI developers;

(b) collaborates with relevant Directorate-Generals and services of the Commission.

(c) cooperates with all relevant bodies, offices and agencies of the Union, including the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU).

(d) cooperates with authorities and bodies of the Member States on behalf of the Commission.

Implementation of the forthcoming Regulation

1. The Office performs the following tasks stemming from the Regulation:

(a) developing tools, methodologies and benchmarks for evaluating capabilities of general-purpose AI models, in particular for very large general purpose AI models with systemic risks;

(b) monitoring the implementation and application of rules on general-purpose AI models and systems, in particular where the model and the system are developed by the same provider;

(c) monitoring the emergence of unforeseen risks stemming from general-purpose AI models, including by responding to alerts from the scientific panel;

(d) investigating possible infringement of rules on general-purpose AI models and systems, including by collecting complaints and alerts, assisting in the preparation of decisions of the Commission and conducting evaluations pursuant to the Regulation.

(e) ensuring that when an AI system falls within the scope of the relevant Union legislation for which the Commission has powers of supervision and enforcement, such as under Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and the Council, the supervision and enforcement of that legislation is fully coordinated with the supervision and enforcement of the Regulation;

(f) supporting the implementation of rules on prohibited AI practices and high-risk AI systems in coordination with relevant bodies responsible under sectoral  legislation, including facilitating information exchange and collaboration between national authorities, collecting notifications and establishing information platforms and databases, in particular when a general-purpose AI model or system is integrated into a high-risk AI system.

2.   Moreover, in order to contribute to the effective implementation of the Regulation, the Office

(a) assists  the Commission in the preparation of relevant Commission Decisions, and of implementing and delegated acts;

(b) facilitates the uniform application of the Regulation;

(c) assists the Commission in the preparation of guidance and guidelines to support the practical implementation of the Regulation, as well as developing supportive tools, such as standardised protocols and best practices, in consultation with relevant Commission services and bodies, offices and agencies of the Union;

(d) assists the Commission in the preparation of standardisation requests, evaluation of existing standards and the preparation of common specifications for the implementation of the Regulation;

(e) contributes to the provision of technical support, advice and tools for the establishment and operation of AI regulatory sandboxes and coordination, as appropriate, with national competent authorities establishing such sandboxes

(f) conducts evaluations and reviews on and prepares reports related to the Regulation;

(g) coordinates the establishment of an effective governance system, including by preparing the set-up of advisory bodies at Union level, as well as monitoring the establishment of relevant national authorities and other bodies at national level;

h) provides the Secretariat for the AI Board and its subgroups, and providing administrative support to the advisory forum and the scientific panel, where applicable, including by providing the administrative set-up, organising meetings and preparing relevant documents; and

(i) encourages and facilitates the drawing up of codes of practices and codes of conduct at Union level, taking into account international approaches, as well as monitoring the implementation and evaluation of codes of practices.

Cooperation with stakeholders

1.   In the performance of its tasks the Office cooperates with stakeholders, in line with applicable competition rules, by:

(a) establishing for a for cooperation of providers of AI models and systems to advance best practices and contributes to the development of codes of conduct and codes of practices;

(b) conducting regular consultation of stakeholders, including experts from the scientific community and the educational sector, citizens, civil society and social partners, where relevant, to collect input for the performance of its tasks;

(c) establishing a forum for cooperation with the open-source community with a view to identify and develop best practices for the safe development and use of open-source AI models and systems.

Cross-sectoral cooperation within the Commission

1.   The Office contributes to fostering actions and policies that reap the societal and industrial benefit of AI technologies.

2.   In particular, the Office

(a) works with other relevant Directorate-Generals and services of the Commission in the performance of its tasks, notably with the European Centre for Algorithmic Transparency as regards the evaluation and testing of general-purpose AI models and systems;

(b) support other relevant Directorate-Generals and services of the Commission with a view to facilitate the use of AI models and systems as transformative tools in the relevant domains of Union policies, as well as to raise awareness about emerging risks

Inter-institutional cooperation

In the performance of its tasks the Office establishes the appropriate forms of cooperation with bodies, offices and agencies of the Union.

International cooperation

1.   The Office  contributes to international cooperation on AI by the Commission, including innovation and excellence policy, with third countries and international organisations, in particular by:

(a) advocating the responsible stewardship of AI and promoting the Union approach to trustworthy AI;

(b) contributing to international cooperation related to AI regulation and governance

(c) contributing to the implementation of international agreements on rules on AI, including by providing support to Member States