EU pushes for human-controlled AI as industry leaders call for slower development

In a State of the Union address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared that artificial intelligence must be developed and deployed with humans firmly in the loop, pointing to increasingly evident security hazards. She noted that AI is becoming a core layer of the economy and safety, and that future models could facilitate large-scale cyber attacks and self-improving dangers.

The remarks came after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei publicly advocated for a slower pace of AI advancement, a stance amplified by recent concerns over the company’s involvement in potentially abusive applications. Von der Leyen reaffirmed the EU’s pioneering AI regulatory framework, stressing its role in safeguarding health, safety and fundamental rights, and announced plans to deepen collaboration with like-minded nations such as Canada and the United Kingdom on model evaluation and early-warning systems.

She also outlined EU efforts to boost its own AI capabilities, including funding for computing infrastructure, startups, and applications in health, transport, agriculture, advanced manufacturing, defence and space. Finally, she linked AI’s risk mitigation to benefits for the labour market, asserting that the technology should help upskill workers, improve job quality and ensure fair opportunities.