MEPs probe Commission about AI Office recruitment strategy

7 months ago 32

Three members of the European Parliament have sent formal questions to the Commission about the recruitment process for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Office, tasked with implementing the EU’s landmark law on technology, Euractiv understands.

MEPs from three different parties have asked about the procedure for selecting a leader for the office — who still has not been announced — and how it will attract talent in a hyper-competitive international market.

The three MEPs are Svenja Hahn from Renew Europe, Kim van Sparrentak from the Greens, and Axel Voss from the European People’s Party. All three acted as shadow rapporteurs for the file.

The AI Office is a major operative that is implementing the landmark law which regulates the use of technology based on the expected risk. Some parts of the legislation are to be enforced six months after its passing in March, and many delegated acts and guidelines are also needed for the law to come to life.

Recruitment is expected to be difficult in a market with sky-high salaries globally.

Just yesterday, another one of the chief architects of the EU’s landmark Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act called for more transparency in the recruitment process for the AI Office.

“I don’t know much myself. I also would like to see a bit more transparency in the process,” said Dragos Tudorache, who acted as rapporteur for the file, at a Renew Europe event on April 9.

Todurache also mentioned the heated debate about the office prior to the legislation’s passing.

Some MEPs wanted the AI Office to be a somewhat independent agency, but eventually, it was agreed that it would be integrated into the Commission.

“I had pushed from the very beginning for very strong European level governance because I believe that that will bring coherence” to the regulation and “the digital single market we all talk about,” Tudorache said.

“Eventually I made a concession towards the Commission, and accepting the idea of placing the office within the Commission” but with several commitments, he said.

[Edited by Alice Taylor]