Malta’s Glenn Micallef Tasked With Developing EU’s AI Strategy For Creatives
Maltese EU Commissioner-designate Glenn Micallef has been given a pretty crucial mission – helping develop the EU’s new AI strategy for the cultural and creative industry.
Micallef’s mission letter as Commissioner-designate for Youth, Sport, Culture, and Inter-Generational Fairness states that he will be working with Henna Virkkunen, the Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, in developing an AI strategy for cultural and creative industries.
Ursula von der Leyen’s letter doesn’t include any details on what kind of strategy it will consist of or whether it could herald new regulations. However, the European Commission President did tell Micallef that she expects him to “improve the working conditions of artists and cultural professionals” and “unlock the competitiveness potential of the cultural and creative industries”.
While the rise of AI has allowed some creatives to speed up their work and focus on more projects, others have found that it is disrupting their livelihoods and limiting their work opportunities. If he is approved as Commissioner, Micallef will have to seriously engage with this debate.
Other tasks Micallef is expected to work on include the creation of an action plan against cyberbullying, and contribution to a planned EU inquiry into the impact of social media and excessive screen time on youths.
Von der Leyen has already pledged to take action on the addictive design of social media platforms, including a clampdown on infinite scroll, default auto play and constant push.
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