The rapid expansion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionised both scientific inquiry and everyday life, permeating numerous sectors with its diverse applications. From enhancing healthcare to optimising transportation systems, AI's widespread presence elicits a range of reactions, from fascination with its capabilities to concerns about its societal impacts.
In response to this transformative force, this report offers a comprehensive overview and analysis of ERC-funded frontier research on AI. These curiosity-driven projects venture into the forefront of AI technology, exploring innovative methodologies, applications, and implications across diverse domains. Furthermore, ERC-funded initiatives play an important role in informing policies aimed at positioning the EU as a global leader in fostering human-centric and trustworthy AI development.
In recent years, AI has emerged as a top priority on the EU policy agenda, driven by the objective of establishing the EU as a premier hub for artificial intelligence. The recent AI Act, the first-ever legal framework on AI, exemplifies the EU's ambition to address concerns surrounding AI while promoting a human-centric and trustworthy approach.
Similarly, the ERC has taken proactive steps to examine the use and impact of AI within its funded projects. An ERC report published in late 2023, entitled Foresight: Use and impact of Artificial Intelligence in the scientific process, highlights how ERC-funded researchers are using AI in their scientific processes, and how they see its potential impact by 2030. It summarises the findings of a foresight survey conducted among ERC grantees, which focused on their present use of AI and their views on future developments by 2030, potential opportunities and risks, and the future impact of generative AI in science, such as large language models (LLMs).
The present report offers an in-depth analysis of ERC-funded projects involved in the development, application, or study of AI technologies, along with those investigating its impacts and effects. Spanning from 2007 to 2022 and funded under the framework programmes FP7, Horizon 2020, and the initial years of Horizon Europe, the portfolio comprises 1 048 projects, constituting approximately 7% of all ERC-funded projects during this period.
Significantly, the proportion of ERC-funded AI projects has shown a consistent upward trend, surpassing 10% annually since 2015 and peaking at nearly 15% in 2021. The growing interest in AI research is evident in the increasing proportion of AI-related projects each year between 2013 and 2021, totalling a growth rate of 21.59%. With a total budget of € 2 010 billion, these projects reflect a substantial investment in advancing AI research within the EU.
The report highlights various examples of ERC projects to illustrate the breadth of research funded by the ERC, ranging from the development of AI technology to address ecological concerns to the study of its effects on social interactions. These projects are either developing or using AI in their scientific processes. They also produce models, methods, tools, and assessments that are accessible to both researchers and policy makers.
The applications of AI span across various sectors (including health, green transition, justice, and law), with profound implications for our economies, politics, and society at large. ERC-funded projects are expected to advance the frontier of knowledge in AI, even if immediate applications are not always apparent. While some projects directly contribute to specific policy areas, others may indirectly inform future applications or shape AI policies, both within the EU and globally.
Finally, the report provides an analysis of key ethics issues raised by ERC-funded AI projects, as well as possible safeguards put in place to mitigate risks and to build trust in AI.
The report represents a first analysis of the ERC’s funding portfolio on AI. A collection of ERC-funded AI projects can be found here: CORDIS Results Pack on the use of AI in science
