Ai in the EU: Ethical guidelines as a governance tool

Abstract

This chapter examines ethical guidelines as a tool for the governance of artificial intelligence (AI). Analysing the European development towards a trustworthy AI, with a focus on the High-Level Expert Group on AI appointed by the European Commission, the chapter highlights the interaction between guidelines and law in light of technological advancements. The chapter explores why ethical framing has such a prominent place in the discussions regarding AI. Applied AI, here argued, must be understood from its interaction with social structures and human expressions, resulting in a need for a multidisciplinary understanding for its governance. Via an analysis of the fuzziness of the AI concept, as well as the related notions of risk and transparency, the chapter concludes by stressing the necessity to move from principles to process in the governance of AI in the EU.