The European Union has urged the international community to base artificial intelligence governance on independent scientific evidence and multistakeholder cooperation, warning against a race to the bottom where technological advances are pursued at any cost. Speaking on 7 July 2026 at the first UN Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance in Geneva, Roberto Viola, Director-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology at the European Commission, delivered a statement on behalf of the EU and its Member States. The EU stressed that the fast evolution of AI brings both extraordinary opportunities and considerable societal risks, including threats to children's safety, energy and water consumption, financial risks, and the displacement of cultural creators without adequate remuneration.
The EU outlined its own approach of responsible and trustworthy AI innovation, grounded in human-centric principles and international human rights law. Viola highlighted the EU's uniform risk-based AI rules, which intervene only where risks are too high or unacceptable, protecting health, safety, and fundamental rights. He also noted EU investments in AI infrastructure, including the upgrade of supercomputers into AI Factories and AI Gigafactories, and the recent Cloud and AI Development Act aimed at building a sovereign AI ecosystem with energy-efficient data centres. The EU emphasised the importance of the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, whose preliminary findings have already contributed to the Dialogue, and called for the Panel to work fully independently, free from external pressure.
The EU's statement at the Global Dialogue marks a significant push for international cooperation on AI governance, with the EU offering to share its experience while acknowledging that it does not have all the answers. The Dialogue, which brought together all UN members and stakeholders for the first time, is seen as a foundation for greater collaboration. The EU stressed that success will be measured by clarity on opportunities and challenges, and by participants' willingness to continue working together in structured and transparent ways. The EU's position balances the promotion of AI-driven innovation and competitiveness with the need for safeguards, reflecting a trade-off between fostering technological growth and mitigating risks to society, the environment, and fundamental rights. Key stakeholders impacted include EU tech companies facing compliance costs under the risk-based rules, EU consumers benefiting from safer AI, global civil society concerned with human rights, and developing countries that may gain from inclusive AI access but risk being left behind without adequate capacity-building.