The European Commission has launched a new research unit that will investigate the impact of algorithms made and used by prominent online platforms and search engines such as Facebook and Google.
Launched on April 18, the European Algorithmic Transparency Center will help the European Commission identify and address any potential risks posed by these platforms. ECAT will be embedded in an existing EU joint research center that conducts research on a wide range of topics including artificial intelligence.
The team will be made up of "data scientists, AI experts, social scientists and legal experts" who will analyze and evaluate the AI-powered algorithms used by big tech companies. AI-based programs are built using a range of complex algorithms, meaning ECAT will also look at algorithms that underpin AI chatbots, such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, which some believe could eventually replace search engines.
The commission claims on its website that ECAT will conduct algorithmic accountability and transparency audits as required by the Digital Services Act, a set of EU rules enforceable from November 16, 2022. According to Thierry Breton, the EU's internal market commissioner, ECAT will have "in-depth knowledge" of large search engines and online platforms to "understand how their algorithms work and facilitate the distribution of illegal and harmful content".
Nearly a dozen EU politicians called for the "safe" development of artificial intelligence in a signed open letter on April 16. Lawmakers have asked U.S. President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to convene a summit on artificial intelligence and develop a set of principles governing the development, control and deployment of the technology.
Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has also had issues with the development of artificial intelligence, saying in an April 17 interview with Fox News that AI chatbots like ChatGPT have a left-wing bias and that he is developing An alternative called "TruthGPT".
