Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
A statement issued by the Belgian government in Brussels said that as part of its presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2024, Belgium is launching a pioneering democracy initiative: the Citizens Commission on Artificial Intelligence (AI). This approach, the first of its kind in a European presidency, confirms our country's commitment to a comprehensive and participatory approach to European policy formulation.

A citizen committee to shape the future of artificial intelligence in Europe

The statement distributed today, Monday, explained that the citizens' committee, consisting of 60 people randomly selected from more than 16,000 invitations sent throughout Belgium, brings together all strata of the population in terms of age, gender, education levels, etc. Demographic criteria. This diversity ensures that discussions and recommendations reflect a broad range of perspectives and experiences rooted in people's lived experiences.

The first session of the Citizenship Committee

The first session of this committee took place over the weekend of February 24 and 25 at the Egmont Palace in Brussels. This session, moderated by professional facilitators and briefed by field players, provided participants with a better understanding of AI, its opportunities and potential societal impacts, a topic generally new to them.

  Anja, one of the participants, shared her experience:

“It is obviously very special to have been chosen from among the large number of invited Belgians. It is simply important that we are able to participate and make our voice heard in a democratic country. When we have the opportunity to be heard, we must seize it.”

After this first step, participants are better equipped for the rest of the program. This will be held on the weekends of 23 and 24 March and 20 and 21 April, and will allow them to define their vision for the development of AI in Europe and especially their expectations from European actors (political and private).

The importance of artificial intelligence and Belgium's ambition

Artificial Intelligence is now everywhere in our lives. From purchase recommendations or music tracks, to track calculation, to filtering spam from our emails... they have become difficult to do without. But this rapid development raises questions: What are its implications for work? On health? On education or even security?

AI, which is at the heart of current debates on technological autonomy, digital inclusion, and disinformation, requires a coordinated and visionary European approach. The Belgian presidency has already contributed to the development of the Artificial Intelligence Law, which aims to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in the European Union. This citizens' panel will allow us to move forward by incorporating citizens' voices to better reflect their views in future policies on AI.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs Hajja Lahbib said:

“This initiative demonstrates our desire to put Belgians at the heart of decision-making. Civil society must be heard on important issues such as artificial intelligence and contribute to ambitious policies that meet its expectations. We are committed, together with the entire federal government, to conveying the views expressed within the Commission to various European institutions.

Towards a lasting impact on EU policies

The commission's conclusions will be presented to Belgian and European political leaders on May 25. The aim will therefore be to strengthen Belgium's positions within the EU Council for the coming years, particularly in the context of setting the European Strategic Agenda 2024-2027. .

Although this citizen opinion is not binding, it is intended to inspire future European policies on AI.