As A.I. Accelerates, Governments Are Increasingly Being Left Behind

The gap between technology and policymaking has gotten wider than ever with artificial intelligence, leaving a global policy vacuum as A.I. models rapidly advance.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, gathered senior officials for an exclusive meeting at a 19th-century palace outside Brussels this month.

The goal was to prepare for a speech outlining the 27-nation bloc’s priorities for the coming year, with artificial intelligence dominating the agenda. The region’s new A.I. czar, Jim Hagemann Snabe, the chairman of German industrial giant Siemens, outlined ways that Europe could use the technology for economic gain. Others raised concerns about A.I. safety and growing risks, two people briefed on the gathering said.