The European Approach to Artificial Intelligence across Geo-political Models of Digital Governance

Digital technologies are crucial in many high-stakes fields and should follow the principle of transparency. At the same time, technologies are inescapably value-laden. In fact, values are built into algorithms, technical standards, and protocols. Adopting a geo-political perspective, this paper aims to investigate how the main state actors (i.e., Russia, China, the USA, and Europe) further the advancement of digital technologies in ways that mirror their political, cultural, and societal structures. We propose a comprehensive analysis that encompasses a legal, ethical, and technical assessment. Furthermore, we consider a case within the SoBigData++ research infrastructure as an example of successful synergy of digital technologies and fundamental ethical and legal principles underpinning the European society.