What position do the parties running for the European elections have on artificial and digital intelligence

Artificial intelligence and digitalisation are not a priority for the parties running for the European elections, amidst confusing proposals, declarations of intent and programs that do not mention them.

• The regulation of new technologies and digitalisation were one of the pillars of the closing European legislature.
• With the Digital Service Act, the Digital Markets Act and the AI ​​Act, the first law in the world on artificial intelligence, the European Union has transformed itself into the watchdog of the digital world.
• With a few exceptions, the topic of digitalisation and artificial intelligence is marginal in the programs of the parties running for the European elections.

There digitalisation and the regulation ofartificial intelligence have been, in recent years, central issues for the European Commission.This legislature, in fact, has given light to most important community regulations on the subject.After publication in February 2020 of the data strategy and the white paper on artificial intelligence, several important regulations have seen the light of day in these four years:The Digital service act (DSA), the Digital markets act (DMA) and finally theAI Act, which kicked off just a few days ago.The European Union has, in fact, transformed itself into watchdog of the digital world, attempting, through its legislation, to try to put a stop to the excessive power of digital platforms, although not always without contradictions and criticism from civil society.Despite this, digitalization and artificial intelligence appear marginal in the programs of the parties presenting themselves at the next elections European elections.

Digital service act and Digital markets act

The Digital service act (DSA), the Digital Services Regulation, and the Digital markets act (DMA), the law on digital markets, are two pieces of legislation approved on 5 July 2022 by the European Parliament.Together they make up the Digital services package (DSP), which came into force last year.

The objective of Dsp is that of modernize the rules governing digital services in the European Union and ensure they are fit for purpose in the digital age;create a safer digital space in which the fundamental rights of all users of digital services are protected; create a level playing field to promote innovation, growth and competitiveness, both in the European single market and globally.

The Dsa reform the rules of digital services, including social media, marketplaces and other online platforms, also referred to as “Vlop” (very large online platforms) and “Vlose” (very large online search engines).It provides a series of rules and obligations for online platforms to guarantee a greater responsibility and transparency in the processing of online content and in the protection of consumer rights.In particular, the DSA establishes new rules for removing illegal or harmful content, especially on social networks, promotes fair competition and provides for greater transparency and responsibility obligations for digital platforms.

The first social media under investigation is X by Elon Musk, charged in December of violating the rules of the DSA following a preliminary analysis, in addition to "X's responses to a formal request for information which, among other things, concerned the dissemination of illegal content in the context of Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel."

The Dma, instead, aims to regulate large digital platforms, defined as "gatekeeper”, i.e. companies with a strong economic position, a significant impact on the internal market, active in several EU countries and with a strong intermediation position.Given the limited number of large companies which exercise control over entire ecosystems of digital economy platforms - Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft - the Council and the European Parliament have felt the need to regulate these gatekeepers in order to ensure a fairer digital market, open and competitive, in order to protect transparency and prevent anti-competitive practices that would otherwise hinder the innovation and efficiency of existing or new market operators.

The AI ​​Act

THE'AI Act it is, instead, the European regulation on artificial intelligence, the first complex rule on this topic.After close negotiations between Parliament and the Council, the text was approved last December and received the final green light from the Council on Last May 21st.

The law prohibits certain applications of artificial intelligence based on the level of risk.These applications include systems social scoring which classify citizens based on the aggregation and analysis of their data, the predictive policing and the emotional recognition in school and work.The regulation, however, provides for exceptions, which leave a regulatory hole and grant the states ample maneuvering.The AI ​​Act it does not apply to the military sector, national security and the control of migratory flows.And it is on the last exception that the civil society, in addition to numerous exemptions on the use of facial recognition, has it openly criticized.

The networks of European associations dealing with digital rights, including the network of NGOs and academics called EDRi, have denounced the use of risky artificial intelligence in the immigration sector and criticized the parallelism between immigration management, national security and the military sector.

Personal data, new technologies and artificial intelligence:what the political parties running for the European elections think

European elections are scheduled for 8 and 9 June which will determine the composition of the new Parliament, but digital and artificial intelligence are marginal themes in the posters of the parties that are are presented for consultations.The proposals are often confusing, in some cases they are just declarations of intent, in others completely absent from the programs, particularly in right-wing parties.We analyzed what the manifestos of the political groups that make up the European Parliament say about digitalisation, data protection and artificial intelligence.

• European People's Party
• European conservatives and reformists
• Identity and democracy
• Party of European Socialists
• Greens
• RenewEurope
• European left
• Not registered

European People's Party – Forza Italia:fight against cybercrimes, development of artificial intelligence for military purposes

The European People's Party (EPP), the largest parliamentary group to which it is currently affiliated Forza Italia, he doesn't have a point of his own manifest election dedicated to artificial intelligence and new technologies, probably because the positions were made explicit in the Position paper on digital policy published in 2022.The EPP's electoral program is the objective of fight disinformation and cybercrimes, establishing a dedicated European unit.It also pays a lot of attention to the contrast of cyberbullying and online harassment.

As regards theartificial intelligence, the EPP program refers to it in the chapter dedicated to safety, arguing that theEuropean Defense Agency (Eda) should dedicate funding to artificial intelligence research double use, therefore for civil and military use.On artificial intelligence the is more explicit Forza Italia program, which proposes to "govern the digital revolution by regulating risks, accelerating investments in research and development and encouraging innovation and the diffusion of new technologies even among the most fragile subjects and the elderly" while always protecting fundamental rights.

Group of European Conservatives and Reformists – Brothers of Italy:artificial intelligence for small and medium-sized businesses

In the manifest of the Group of European conservatives and reformists (Ecr), to which it is associated Brothers of Italy, there is no dedicated point to new technologies and artificial intelligence.THE'single reference to new technologies can be found in the point dedicated to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).The ECR wants it cut bureaucracy and regulations for SMEs and shift those resources “towards the implementation and enforcement of existing legislation, and modernizing the EU's digital landscape to stimulate innovation and investment in cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G/6G and 'quantum computing'.

The Fratelli d'Italia program, instead, dedicate a entire chapter on artificial intelligence, strong from the fact of having proposed an ad hoc bill a few weeks ago.In addition to supporting companies that invest in the sector, Fratelli d'Italia proposes a common European control room, a community research hub and an update to the tools for protection of intellectual property.

Identity and democracy – League:protection of freedom of expression online and attack on the DSA

In the manifest Of Identity and democracy (Id), into which the Alloy, the topic of artificial intelligence does not appear.The only reference to the digital world is related to the "need to protect freedom of expression, in particular freedom of digital expression".If we go and read the League program, the position is even more radical.The carroccio has defined the Digital Service Act as a dangerous tool which seems to "favor the attempt to control free expressions online, aimed more at the loss of the critical sense of the online user than at his real protection".

Party of European Socialists – Democratic Party:“control artificial intelligence and strengthen online rights”

The group of social democrats (S&D), the currently second largest in Parliament and which is associated with Democratic Party (which is in turn part of the Party of European Socialists), he dedicated an entire chapter to his vision of Digital and inclusive Europe.Before illustrating the program on the topic, the S&D published a survey to intercept citizens' concerns on artificial intelligence, given them the possibility to choose what priority is for them between the regulation of artificial intelligence, access to the internet for all, the protection of platform workers - such as rider – and online consumer protection.

The link between new technologies and job protection is made explicit in election poster.The S&Ds want to ensure that Europe exploits the potential of artificial intelligence to protect the working class according to the principle of human control, but above all they reiterate that the protection of the rights of workers comes before the profit of Big Tech.They also focus on the investments in infrastructure public to allow theinternet access to an ever-increasing audience and on the need to prosecute crimes committed online.

Greens – Green and Left Alliance:circular economy, right to repair and limitation of emissions from the tech sector

The group of Greens/European Free Alliance, which is associated with Green Europe (which by theGreen and left alliance), over the years he has always been very active on the topic ofenvironmental impact of new technologies.An entire section has been dedicated to this topic, Green our tech, in which the European Green Party highlights the need forcircular economy, del right to repair and the need for limit emissions of the technology sector.Even in election poster, the importance of the circular economy and greater control of technologies for the ecological transition is reiterated.On a general level, the position is linked toenvironmentalist approach, but there is a lack of references to other sectors of the technological world.

The Avs program adds a few more pieces.For Avs it is necessary to establish aEuropean artificial intelligence research agency with entirely public capital, which holds together a ethical approach, regulatory, research and industrial, in contrast with Big Tech and to have a humanist approach to the development of new technologies.

Renew Europe – Action, +Europa, Italia Viva:digital euro, no monopoly in the tech sector and an ethical approach to artificial intelligence

The group of liberals RenewEurope – of which they are part, for Italy, Action, +Europe, Italia Viva – dedicated a entire chapter of its site to the objectives achieved in the now completed legislature on the topic of digital.A was published in April position paper on internet governance, very technical, but from which Renew Europe's positions on digital and technology can be extrapolated.

The focus of the paper are the strategies to ensure openness to the global internet.Renew's priority is to counter the tendency to fragment the global internet network in small islands that refer to the geopolitical area to which they belong such as, for example, the mass TikTok ban in the United States or the blocking of many platforms in Russia And China.

Still analyzing the positions on the site, it can be deduced that the group would like to create a European electronic currency issued by the Central Bank and would like to further regulate the cryptocurrencies.As regards theartificial intelligence, reiterates the successes achieved with the AI ​​Act and the importance of avoid a monopoly in the sector in the hands of Big Tech.

The coalition program of the three Italian parties, called United States of Europe, proposes creation of a real European Silicon Valley for the development of technologies, but above all it reiterates an ethical approach to artificial intelligence.

European Left – Italian Left and Communist Refoundation:human control, impact on the world of work and prohibition of bias 

For the group of European left, of which they are part Communist refoundation And Italian left as an observer, the topic of artificial intelligence has a dedicated chapter.In the plan is made explicit need for effective regulation of artificial intelligence, with the principle of human control, and a control of the impact of these technologies on the world of work.The European Left also reiterates the need for one widespread digitalisation that leaves no citizen behind.

The group is the only one to have made the need explicit in its electoral manifesto counteract ethnic-based bias and technology discrimination in general, the control of digitalisation in education to protect teachers, but above all the absolute ban of the use of artificial intelligence in weapons systems.

Non-members – 5 Star Movement:“Artificial intelligence at the service of people”

The 5 Star Movement does not intend to join any European political group.The plan of the party focuses on two themes:the'digital euro and theartificial intelligence.For the Movement, the European Central Bank must accelerate the program for issuing the digital European currency by "creating a free payment instrument for people [...] in which privacy is also guaranteed, and which is independent of the presence of intermediaries and so also more simply programmable and quicker to implement".

An entire chapter of the electoral manifesto of the 5 Star Movement is dedicated to artificial intelligence.The fundamental pillars for the party are the establishment of a special commission to the European Parliament to analyze and evaluate the economic and social impacts of artificial intelligence in the labor market transition process, and a holistic perspective that considers technological innovation not only as a tool for economic progress, but also as a means for the social well-being of the community.For the Movement, investments in artificial intelligence must aim at prevention of climate disasters, allow one ethical development of the work transition and contribute to digital transition of schools.