Right now, we\u2019re in the early stages of the next phase of computing: AI. First we had the desktop. Then the internet. And smartphones. Increasingly, we\u2019re living in a world where computing is built around vast troves of data and the algorithms that parse them. They power everything from the social platforms and smart speakers we use everyday, to the digital machinery of our governments and economies.<\/p>\n
In parallel, we\u2019re entering a new phase of\u00a0 how we think about, deploy, and regulate technology. Will the AI era be defined by individual privacy and transparency into how these systems work? Or, will the worst parts of our current internet ecosystem \u2014 invasive data collection, monopoly, opaque systems \u2014 continue to be the norm?<\/p>\n
A year ago, a group of funders came together at Mozilla\u2019s Berlin office to talk about just this: how we, as a collective, could help shape the direction of AI in Europe. We agreed on the importance of a landscape where European public interest and civil society organisations \u2014 and not just big tech companies \u2014 have a real say in shaping policy and technology. The next phase of computing needs input from a diversity of actors that represent society as a whole.<\/p>\n
Over the course of several months and with dozens of organizations around the table, we came up with the idea of a <\/b>European AI Fund<\/b><\/a> \u2014 a project we\u2019re excited to launch this week.<\/b><\/p>\n The fund is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, King Baudouin Foundation, Luminate, Mozilla, Oak Foundation, Open Society Foundations and Stiftung Mercator. We are a group of national, regional and international foundations in Europe that are dedicated to using our resources \u2014 financial and otherwise \u2014 to strengthen civil society. We seek to deepen the pool of experts across Europe who have the tools, capacity and know-how to catalogue and monitor the social and political impact of AI and data driven interventions \u2014 and hold them to account. The European AI Fund is hosted by the Network of European Foundations. I can\u2019t imagine a better group to be around the table with.<\/p>\n Over the next five years, the European Commission and national governments across Europe will forge a plan for Europe\u2019s digital transformation, including AI. But without a strong civil society taking part in the debate, Europe \u2014 and the world \u2014 risk missing critical opportunities and could face fundamental harms.<\/p>\n At Mozilla, we\u2019ve seen first-hand the expertise that civil society can provide when it comes to the intersection of AI and consumer rights, racial justice, and economic justice. We\u2019ve collaborated closely over the years with partners like European Digital Rights,\u00a0 Access Now Algorithm Watch and Digital Freedom Fund. Alternatively, we\u2019ve seen what can go wrong when diverse voices like these aren\u2019t part of important conversations: AI systems that discriminate, surveil, radicalize.<\/p>\n At Mozilla, we believe that philanthropy has a key role to play in Europe\u2019s digital transformation and in keeping AI trustworthy, as we\u2019ve laid out in our trustworthy AI theory of change<\/a>. We\u2019re honoured to be working alongside this group of funders in an effort to strengthen civil society\u2019s capacity to contribute to these tech policy discussions.<\/p>\n In its first step, the fund will launch with a 1,000,000 \u20ac open call for funding, open until November 1. Our aim is to build the capacity of those who already work on AI and Automated Decision Making (ADM). At the same time, we want to bring in new civil society actors to the debate, especially those who haven\u2019t worked on issues relating to AI yet, but whose domain of work is affected by AI.<\/p>\n To learn more about the European AI Fund visit http:\/\/europeanaifund.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"