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Apply AI Strategy

European Union · Framework · European Commission

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Our summary

This strategy aims to help industries and public sector organizations grasp the capabilities of AI systems, identify where they deliver value, and understand how they can generate competitive advantages. It is a policy framework issued by the European Commission to promote AI adoption and understanding across Europe.

Written by the Index in our own words. It is not legal advice; the official text is the authority.

Inside this policy

Every section of this policy in order. Our notes summarise each one in plain language and do not quote the official text, which is the authority.

Drafted by the Index An automated summary of the official text, not yet reviewed by a person.Reviewed Checked by a person against the official text.

20 sections

Jump to a chapter

1 Introduction

This strategy aims to boost AI development and adoption in the EU, particularly among SMEs and small mid-cap companies, to enhance competitiveness in strategic industries while maintaining human-centric and trustworthy principles consistent with the AI Act. The strategy is organized around three pillars: sectoral flagship initiatives to increase AI use in key industrial and public sectors; addressing cross-cutting challenges such as SME adoption and workforce readiness; and establishing a single governance mechanism with an AI Observatory to track developments and monitor impacts.

Drafted by the IndexOfficial text of 1 (opens in a new tab)

2 Introducing s ectoral flagshi ps

11 sections

The strategy sets out sectoral initiatives across eleven industries to demonstrate transformative potential of AI and support adoption. The Commission is mobilizing around one billion euros in funding, with these actions subject to future expansion based on inputs from a governance mechanism that will oversee implementation.

Drafted by the Index

  1. 2.1 Healthcare, including pharmaceuticals

    The Commission will create AI-powered screening facilities throughout the EU to improve disease detection and diagnosis, particularly in underserved areas, and establish an expertise network to guide AI deployment in healthcare through clinical guidelines, validation, and cross-border learning. The Commission will launch a competition for novel pharmaceutical treatments discovered through AI methods for hard-to-treat conditions, offering winners computational resources and commercialisation support, and pursue regulatory reforms to expedite approval of medical technology incorporating AI while maintaining safety safeguards.

    Drafted by the IndexOfficial text of 2.1 (opens in a new tab)

  2. 2.2 Robotics

    The Commission will establish a catalyst to bring together robotics developers and user industries, funding sectoral acceleration pipelines focused on high-impact applications of AI-powered robotics. This initiative aims to strengthen European solutions in robotics, building on the region's strengths in industrial and collaborative robots.

    Drafted by the Index

  3. 2.3 Manufacturing, engineering and construction

    The Commission will support development of frontier AI models tailored to manufacturing and fund acceleration pipelines to bridge the gap between research and real-world deployment of AI solutions. These initiatives leverage digital twins and data pooling to enhance efficiency, precision and adaptability across production processes in the sector.

    Drafted by the Index

  4. 2.4 Defence, security and space

    The Commission will accelerate deployment of AI-based systems for military situational awareness and command control through European defence funding, establish a secure data centre for training defence and space AI models, and foster AI integration into space systems. It will enhance space manufacturing and orbital operations through AI-enabled systems for advanced production, autonomous equipment, and satellite operations, and develop AI tools for internal security, cybersecurity threat detection and response, and integration into security architectures.

    Drafted by the Index

  5. 2.5 Mobility, transport and automotive

    Artificial intelligence is being deployed across transportation to improve traffic management and vehicle safety, but regulations at multiple levels and trust concerns hinder autonomous vehicle adoption. The Commission will support development of common AI models and software platforms for self-driving systems through AI factories and will launch an initiative in European cities to accelerate operational deployment of autonomous vehicles, using innovation measures including regulatory sandboxes.

    Drafted by the Index

  6. 2.6 Electronic communications

    Artificial intelligence is being adopted by telecommunications operators to optimize networks and customer services, but limited edge device capacity and lack of open platforms constrain its impact. The Commission will support development of edge AI technologies through joint undertakings and will create a collaborative European platform enabling telecom operators and vendors to jointly develop AI components using shared infrastructure.

    Drafted by the Index

  7. 2.7 Energy

    Artificial intelligence can enhance energy efficiency across production and consumption, yet adoption in grid management and infrastructure planning lags due to safety rules, fragmented oversight, and data-sharing constraints. The Commission will promote development of AI models for energy forecasting and system optimization, and will establish standardization rules requiring documentation of how AI systems impact energy consumption in data centres.

    Drafted by the Index

  8. 2.8 Climate and Environment

    Artificial intelligence supports environmental monitoring and early warning systems for natural disasters, but technological complexity, skills gaps, and fragmented tools limit widespread adoption for climate action. The Commission will create an open-source AI frontier model trained in EU facilities to deliver weather forecasts and Earth monitoring, and will provide local authorities with AI-based digital twins to help predict climate risks and plan resilient communities.

    Drafted by the Index

  9. 2.9 Agri-Food

    Artificial intelligence can enhance farming through precision techniques and advisory tools, but adoption remains limited due to lack of quality training data, vendor lock-in, farmer concerns about control and liability, and skills shortages. The Commission will establish a platform to help farmers discover and integrate AI-enabled farming applications, increase confidence in these tools, and promote open-source development.

    Drafted by the Index

  10. 2.10 Cultural and creative sectors, and media

    The Commission will foster micro-studios specialised in AI-enhanced virtual production and support investments in European AI models for interactive storytelling and music/literary content discovery. It will help develop pan-European platforms using multilingual AI to distribute real-time professional news across the EU and will launch a study exploring legal challenges of AI-generated outputs and safeguards against copyright-infringing content.

    Drafted by the Index

  11. 2.11 Public sector

    The Commission will build an AI toolbox for public administrations and judiciary with open-source reusable tools and the Public Sector AI & Interoperability Readiness Pathway to support tailored service development. It will accelerate adoption of European generative AI solutions in public administrations with focus on education, including a technical and policy toolkit, and revise the European Interoperability Framework to support AI-first policies.

    Drafted by the Index

3 Addressing cross-cutting challenges

4 sections

This chapter covers key cross-cutting issues needed to scale AI development and integration across EU strategic sectors: enhancing opportunities for SMEs, enabling an AI-ready workforce, supporting AI as a production factor, and ensuring trust in the European market.

Drafted by the Index

  1. 3.1 Enhancing opportunities for European SMEs

    The Commission will launch a call for European companies to share AI models and systems through Digital Innovation Hubs, renamed as Experience Centres for AI, which promote European solutions and the domestic multilingual AI ecosystem. These centres address barriers that over 90% of European enterprises face in AI adoption by providing locally-based support and access to the innovation ecosystem.

    Drafted by the Index

  2. 3.2 Enabling an AI-ready workforce across sectors

    The Commission will provide practical AI literacy training through the AI Skills Academy tailored to sectors and job profiles, preferably leading to micro-credentials, and will encourage industry involvement in upskilling and reskilling through the Pact for Skills and the Skills Guarantee. For digital-intensive sectors, it will fund AI executive master programmes developing hybrid profiles and establish an AI entrepreneurs lab connecting graduates with mentors; it will also monitor AI's impact on labour markets to support inclusive policies addressing skill transition and structural inequalities.

    Drafted by the Index

  3. 3.3 Supporting AI as a production factor

    The Commission will establish and oversee an initiative to strengthen European capabilities in frontier AI by assembling leading companies and research institutions to develop advanced AI systems using state-of-the-art computing infrastructure and high-quality training data. The initiative will organise continent-wide competitions for developing unrestricted frontier AI models that will receive free supercomputing access and be shared with public bodies, researchers and businesses across Europe.

    Drafted by the Index

  4. 3.4 Ensuring trust in the European market

    The Commission will strengthen compliance with the AI Act through multiple support mechanisms: establishing the AI Act Service Desk to provide information and tailored guidance via an interactive platform with a compliance checker; preparing additional guidelines, particularly on high-risk system classification and interaction with other EU laws; and ensuring Member States set up their national competent authorities to support proper implementation.

    Drafted by the Index

4 Establishing a single governance mechanism

The Commission will transform the AI Alliance into a coordination forum with annual gatherings and sectoral boards, and establish an AI Observatory to assess AI impact and monitor labour market changes, while the AI Board remains the main discussion forum with Member States. The EU positions itself as a proactive, cooperative partner in AI as a strategic technology, engaging internationally through bilateral cooperation and forums including G7, G20, Global Partnership of AI, OECD and Council of Europe. The EU is addressing external dependencies and supply chain risks in the AI stack through economic security initiatives including AI Factories and AI Gigafactories, leveraging its talent, research, industrial strength and large single market.

Drafted by the Index

5 Conclusion

The Apply AI Strategy supports AI deployment across strategic sectors through transversal and sectoral policy actions, governance mechanisms, and interconnected instruments, including planned frameworks for security and defence AI, agricultural enablers, responsible adoption in tourism and cultural sectors, and public sector tools. The Commission will establish sectoral initiatives with specific timelines: AI-powered screening centres and healthcare expertise by Q2 and Q4 2027; robotics catalyst by Q4 2025; manufacturing pipelines by Q4 2026; cybersecurity AI tools, mobility AI factories, and electronic communications platforms by Q4 2025-2026; energy models by Q1 2026; digital twins by Q4 2025; agri-food platforms by Q1 2027; cultural sector strategies by Q1 2027; and public administration toolbox by Q2 2026. Support for skills, education, measurement, and international coordination will be complemented by market readiness assessments by Q4 2026, SME contracting forums by Q4 2025, literacy training from Q1 2026, executive programmes by Q4 2026, an AI entrepreneurs lab by Q4 2026, a Frontier AI Initiative by Q1 2026, high-risk classification guidelines by Q1 2026, and an AI Observatory by Q2 2026.

Drafted by the Index

Controls

What this policy requires, forbids, grants or penalises, one control at a time and in our own words. Each control links to the official text, which is the authority. This is not legal advice.

Drafted by the Index Drafted automatically from the official text, not yet reviewed by a person.Reviewed Checked by a person against the official text.

Themes covered 19 of 35

Choose a theme to see only its controls. About the themes

Risk and scope 3 of 4

  • Prohibited practices, not covered

Data and privacy 2 of 4

  • Data subject rights and consent, not covered
  • Cross-border data transfer, not covered

Transparency and records 2 of 4

  • Labelling of synthetic content, not covered
  • Record keeping and logging, not covered

Technical safeguards 2 of 4

  • Human oversight, not covered
  • Bias and non-discrimination, not covered

Assurance and lifecycle 2 of 4

  • Registration and notification, not covered
  • Incident and breach reporting, not covered

Rights and protected groups 0 of 4

  • Automated decision-making rights, not covered
  • Children and vulnerable groups, not covered
  • Biometric identification and surveillance, not covered
  • Whistleblowing, complaints and redress, not covered

Roles and organisation 6 of 6

Enforcement and sectors 2 of 5

  • Sector rules: finance and insurance, not covered
  • Sector rules: employment, not covered
  • Sector rules: education, not covered

Showing 40 of 41 controls

Group by

2.1 3 controls

  1. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission should establish AI-powered screening centres in healthcare to accelerate introduction of tools for prevention and diagnosis, improve early detection particularly for cardiovascular diseases and cancer, and take gender-specific factors into account.

    2.1Official text of 2.1 (opens in a new tab)
  2. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission should facilitate AI-powered screening centres to support real-world clinical validation and performance testing and generate evidence for clinical adoption.

    2.1Official text of 2.1 (opens in a new tab)
  3. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The network of AI-powered screening centres should provide access to high-quality datasets and support testing and validation of AI models including for personalised prevention.

    2.1Official text of 2.1 (opens in a new tab)

2.2 2 controls

  1. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission should establish a Catalyst bringing together robotics developers and user industries to accelerate development and uptake of European robotics solutions in collaboration with the AI Data and Robotics Association.

    2.2
  2. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission should fund sectoral Acceleration Pipelines for adoption of AI-powered robotics focusing on high-impact use cases prioritised in collaboration with end-user industries.

    2.2

2.3 3 controls

  1. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will develop frontier AI models tailored for manufacturing applications.

    2.3
  2. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will enable industrial actors to pool data through intermediaries while protecting intellectual property and data security.

    2.3
  3. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will fund acceleration pipelines that support AI manufacturing solutions from development through to real-world deployment.

    2.3

2.4 3 controls

  1. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will speed up the creation and rollout of AI-powered command and control systems for defence via the European Defence Fund.

    2.4
  2. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will develop sovereign frontier models and agentic AI systems with safety integrated from the outset for defence and space applications.

    2.4
  3. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will foster an environment facilitating AI integration into EU space systems to enhance performance, efficiency and security.

    2.4

2.5 2 controls

  1. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will use AI factories and gigafactories to accelerate development of customised AI models and shared software platforms for self-driving and vehicle management.

    2.5
  2. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will launch an initiative in European cities to speed up deployment of autonomous vehicles as operational services with providers.

    2.5

2.6 2 controls

  1. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will build EU capacities in edge AI devices through dedicated support from the Smart Networks and Services and Chips Joint Undertakings.

    2.6
  2. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will establish a European Telco AI platform allowing telecommunications operators, vendors and industries to jointly develop AI stack components on shared infrastructure.

    2.6

2.7 2 controls

  1. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will support creation of AI models for forecasting, optimisation, digital twins and system balancing in the energy sector.

    2.7
  2. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will adopt standardisation requirements for documentation of how AI systems and general-purpose models affect energy consumption.

    2.7

2.8 1 control

  1. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will provide local authorities and relevant organisations with AI-based digital twins integrating Copernicus data to help forecast climate risks and support resilient urban and rural planning.

    2.8

2.9 2 controls

  1. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will create an agri-food AI platform to enable farmers to find and incorporate specialised AI farming tools and open-source applications.

    2.9
  2. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will work to strengthen farmer confidence in AI farming tools and promote open-source development in precision agriculture.

    2.9

2.10 4 controls

  1. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will foster creation of small studios across Europe specialised in AI-enhanced virtual production for cultural and creative content.

    2.10
  2. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will support investment in European generative AI models for interactive and immersive storytelling, media content and music and literary discoverability.

    2.10
  3. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will help develop multilingual AI platforms to distribute news in real time across Europe.

    2.10
  4. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will conduct legal research on whether outputs from generative AI models infringe copyright.

    2.10

2.11 2 controls

  1. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will build an AI toolbox for public administrations featuring open-source reusable solutions to support AI interoperability and provide step-by-step practical guidance through the PAIR Pathway.

    2.11
  2. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will accelerate adoption of European scalable generative AI in public sector services, focusing on education.

    2.11

3.1 1 control

  1. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will initiate a call inviting companies from Europe to contribute their AI models and systems to Digital Innovation Hubs, now renamed Experience Centres for AI, to support broad uptake across strategic sectors.

    3.1

3.2 5 controls

  1. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will deliver practical AI literacy training adapted to different sectors and job roles through an AI Skills Academy, with training preferably leading to micro-credentials.

    3.2
  2. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will encourage businesses to participate in upskilling and reskilling of workers in AI through mechanisms such as the Pact for Skills.

    3.2
  3. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will fund master's degree programmes offering hybrid professional profiles combining AI expertise with sector-specific knowledge for digital-intensive industries such as mobility, energy, and cultural sectors.

    Applies when: digital-intensive sectors

    3.2
  4. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will establish an entrepreneurship laboratory for AI business development drawing on existing academic and innovation initiatives.

    3.2
  5. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDeadline was Drafted by the Index

    The Commission will update the Digital Competence Framework for Citizens by the end of 2025.

    3.2

3.3 1 control

  1. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will create and lead a joint Frontier AI Initiative coordinating Europe's top industrial firms and research organisations to make progress in cutting-edge AI capabilities.

    3.3

3.4 3 controls

  1. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will establish the AI Act Service Desk as a resource centre offering information, guidance and interactive compliance tools to assist organisations in understanding and meeting their obligations under the AI Act.

    3.4
  2. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will produce additional guidance on how to classify AI systems as high-risk and how the AI Act relates to other European Union legal rules.

    3.4
  3. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will press Member States to establish their national competent authorities responsible for supervising compliance with the AI Act.

    3.4

4 3 controls

  1. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will establish a stakeholder coordination forum to enable sectoral stakeholders and policy makers to participate in AI policy discussions and networking.

    4
  2. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission will set up an AI Observatory to monitor AI impacts across sectors, track labour market changes, and provide indicators to inform investment targets.

    4
  3. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Commission should encourage Member States to adopt sectoral approaches within their national AI strategies.

    4

5 2 controls

  1. ObligationApplies to: Public authorityDrafted by the Index

    The Apply AI Strategy aims to help industries and the public sector understand AI capabilities and competitive advantages through transversal and sectoral policy actions.

    5

Change history

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