AU–EU AI Plans Put Institutions in the Driver’s Seat

On 26 October, African Union and European Union institutions discussed how to build AI cooperation in scientific research, setting priorities around data, computing, skills and funding. The online AU–EU High-Level Event on AI in Science was presented by the European External Action Service (EEAS) as a discussion of an “equitable and inclusive partnership for scientific discovery.” Its recommendations will feed into further AU–EU work, with preparations under way for the next research and innovation ministerial meeting in 2027.

The agenda reaches into public health, food security, industrialisation and environmental protection. The institutions involved are discussing how research resources should be built and shared, and who gets to set the agenda. Participants called for African leadership and shared agenda-setting, while also raising predictable funding and recognition of contributions from both continents.

Who sets the research agenda

Saidou Madougou, Director for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation at the African Union Commission, said AI could support Africa’s development priorities under Agenda 2063. He connected the discussions to the African Union’s Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA-2024) and its Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy, and referred to responsible and ethical development.

Maria Cristina Russo, Deputy Director-General for Research and Innovation at the European Commission, said AU–EU research and innovation cooperation had supported around €6 billion in activities. She cited work on malaria vaccines and treatments for HIV and tuberculosis. AI in Science and “science diplomacy,” she said, were emerging areas for cooperation, alongside the EU’s AI in Science Strategy and its Resource for AI Science in Europe (RAISE) initiative.

Those existing commitments sit alongside a discussion about where new capacity will come from and who controls it. Participants called for access to high-quality datasets that can be used across systems, sustainable computing capacity and trusted data-governance arrangements. They also stressed data sovereignty and local knowledge, and called for stronger links between existing research infrastructures rather than building duplicate facilities.

Infrastructure, money and oversight

The event’s four themed discussions considered whether existing AU–EU partnerships in health, agriculture, climate and sustainable energy could provide a basis for joint AI research. Participants also discussed moving AI-based research into practical use through better data access, stronger links between universities and businesses, support for start-ups, technology transfer, and public and private finance.

Funding was part of the institutional discussion, not a settled outcome. Participants raised the need for predictable funding, while the EEAS said skills and talent were also priorities. Proposed areas included interdisciplinary education, research training, mentoring, and opportunities for researchers to collaborate across institutions and countries.

UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Sciences, Denise Pires de Carvalho, said AI should advance science for everyone, not only those with the most technological resources. She highlighted governance, open science, academic freedom and gender equality, including greater participation and leadership by women in AI-related research. She also said AI systems should reflect diverse languages and cultures, with safeguards for scientific integrity.

Sabine Henzler, Director of Strategy at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, called for “trustworthy science,” more equitable access to computing and innovation infrastructure, and investment in interdisciplinary talent. She also said safeguards were needed so AI doesn’t narrow scientific enquiry or weaken human oversight. These are stated priorities; the account of the event does not describe a funding settlement or a mechanism for enforcing them.

The recommendations will feed into further AU–EU research and innovation cooperation and are expected to contribute to preparations for the next AU–EU Research and Innovation Ministerial Meeting in 2027. The institutions have identified the questions. The next meeting is still ahead.