Europe is proposing a 20 billion euro investment to build a top 3 AI model, aiming to catch up with US and Chinese leaders. The move addresses the lack of European representation in the top 100 AI models, with only Mistral AI currently ranking at 78th place.
TL;DR
- Europe proposes a 20 billion euro investment to build a top 3 AI model.
- The move aims to address the lack of European representation in the top 100 AI models.
- A governance model is proposed to avoid classic pitfalls of public intervention.
What happened
Europe is proposing a 20 billion euro investment to build a top 3 AI model, aiming to catch up with US and Chinese leaders. The move addresses the lack of European representation in the top 100 AI models, with only Mistral AI currently ranking at 78th place.
The proposal suggests creating a company with governments as primary shareholders alongside private venture capital funds. The initial investment would enable the development of a model capable of rising to the top three globally.
A clear and effective governance model is proposed to avoid classic pitfalls of public intervention. The government would provide funding but not take control, with the exception of blocking the sale of the company or its critical intellectual property outside Europe.
Why it matters
The lack of European representation in the top 100 AI models highlights the need for investment in the field. The proposal aims to address this by creating a sovereign player capable of competing with American giants.
The investment would enable the rapid hiring of 2,000 engineers and provide access to a massive launch market from day one. This includes government agencies, public services, the national education system, hospitals, and the defense sector.
The proposal is apolitical and notes that no 'invisible hand' will bring forth a champion capable of competing with the American giants in such a capital-intensive sector. The plea is directed at each European capital and Brussels for coordinated action.
Key facts
- Only one European AI model, Mistral AI, is in the top 100, ranking at 78th place.
- Europe proposes a 20 billion euro investment to build a top 3 AI model.
- The investment represents only 2% of Anthropic's valuation and 20% of the funds it has already raised.
- The proposal suggests creating a company with governments as primary shareholders alongside private venture capital funds.
- A governance model is proposed to avoid classic pitfalls of public intervention.
- The investment would enable the rapid hiring of 2,000 engineers.
- The new leader would have access to a massive launch market from day one, including government agencies and public services.
- The plea is directed at each European capital and Brussels for coordinated action.
Context
The AI models shaping the field today are exclusively American or Chinese. This is a stark reality that Europe is looking to change with its proposal.
The world's two most powerful models, Fable and Mythos, were inaccessible to European users for several weeks due to a unilateral decision by the United States. This highlights the strategic importance of AI models.
The offensive capabilities of the latest models are staggering, with an OpenAI model still in the testing phase managing to hack into a leading AI model hosting platform. This underscores the need for Europe to have its own sovereign player in the field.