AI4POL: Using Artificial Intelligence to Support Regulators & Policy Makers

Exploring the Future of AI Regulation in Europe

The EU has already taken significant steps toward regulating AI through legislation like the AI Act, the Data Act, and the Digital Markets Act. But how do these regulations hold up in practice? How do they impact citizens, and how can policymakers evaluate their effectiveness? AI4POL seeks to answer these questions by developing AI tools and data science methods to help policymakers and regulators assess the impact of their legislation and address potential threats posed by technological developments in non-democratic states.

"Europe's aim is to be innovative and competitive without compromising its values. This can only be achieved with an effective regulatory framework and well-informed decision makers in politics and public administration," says project leader Prof. Jens Prüfer, Director of the Tilburg Law and Economics Center at Tilburg University. "Artificial intelligence and data science can be very helpful for such monitoring. We aim to support politicians, who, unlike big tech companies, don’t have thousands of highly skilled AI experts on staff."

A key focus of the AI4POL project is understanding and improving consumer protection. "We know little about how much people understand the information provided for online contracts, for example, and whether they simply click on 'okay' because the texts are far too long and written in legal jargon," says Gjergji Kasneci, Professor of Responsible Data Science at TUM. "We want to find out how these consumer protection measures are perceived, how companies and policymakers can get useful feedback, and how the impact of regulations, particularly around digital services and AI, can be improved. AI tools, in turn, can play a crucial role by summarizing these complicated texts in a way that's simpler and easier to understand."

In the financial sector, AI has become a central part of decision-making, from credit scoring to algorithmic trading. “AI is disrupting the way information is produced and processed. In finance, it has become an integral part of decision-making, for instance, for credit scoring, robo-advisors, or algorithmic trading. AI also plays an instrumental role in regulatory compliance, fraud detection and security.” adds Professor Sean Ennis, Director of the Centre for Competition Policy at UEA. " We will study both the opportunities and the risks of AI in such applications."

Project Partners

AI4POL brings together an international team of researchers from Tilburg University, the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the University of East Anglia (UEA), Visionary Analytics, Centerdata, the Università degli Studi di Roma Unitelma Sapienza, and the TUM Think Tank. This diverse consortium ensures a multidisciplinary approach to AI governance, drawing on expertise in technology, ethics, law, and economics.

The project also benefits from the guidance of a prestigious Advisory Board comprising key stakeholders, including EU and national regulators, policymakers, consumer protection agencies, civil society organizations, and AI firms. Their insights are critical to ensuring the project's outcomes are both relevant and aligned with the latest regulatory challenges.

By working closely with policymakers, regulators, consumer protection agencies, and industry partners, AI4POL aims to ensure that Europe not only keeps pace with global AI innovation but also leads in developing ethical and effective AI regulations. The project will deliver actionable insights, innovative tools, and concrete frameworks to help regulators govern AI effectively. AI4POL is on a mission to create a more secure, ethical, and citizen-focused AI future for Europe. Stay tuned for updates on our research, tools, and events as we work to drive positive change in AI governance across Europe.