Council of Europe: AI in science

02.06.2025

Europe-wide framework conditions for the use of artificial intelligence in science are important to facilitate its application in research and innovation. The adoption of the Council Conclusions on AI in science by the EU and the Member States on May 23, 2025 set the course for this.

The Council of Europe has adopted a series of conclusions entitled "Towards an EU Strategy on AI in Science". In this document, the Council calls for a comprehensive strategy to promote the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in science - with an ethical, sustainable, inclusive and human-centered approach.

"Artificial intelligence can fundamentally change scientific discoveries, promote innovation and increase the productivity of our researchers. Europe must quickly seize these opportunities while addressing the ethical and societal challenges and risks of this rapidly developing technology," said Marcin Kulasek, Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education.

A technology-driven turning point

The Council's conclusions recognize that the rapid development of AI and its applications in scientific research have led to groundbreaking advances that are fundamentally changing the way science is conducted. AI is being used extensively in data analysis, in simulations and through large language models, enabling new discoveries and increasing the efficiency of research. The conclusions emphasize the importance of AI for both basic and applied research and its central role in addressing global challenges, meeting societal needs and improving Europe's competitiveness and digital transformation.

International cooperation - especially reciprocal and non-discriminatory partnerships - is crucial for scientific exchange, interoperability and responsible AI development. The conclusions emphasize that an ethical, sustainable and inclusive use of AI in science is necessary to strengthen research, innovation and global competitiveness. It is also recalled that AI systems and models developed and used exclusively for scientific research and development are excluded from the scope of the AI Act.

Time to act

Despite the growing importance of AI in science, the conclusions warn that there is as yet no targeted EU policy to promote the use of AI in science. The Commission is currently working on a new European strategy for AI in science. This, it says, should be based on the best available knowledge and best practice and developed in close cooperation with the Member States and the research and innovation community.
In particular, the strategy should complement existing initiatives and focus on interdisciplinary research systems, coordinated policy developments, the qualification of researchers and open access to reliable data. It should also ensure the responsible and ethical use of AI tools in research and innovation - particularly with regard to data protection, data integrity and security.

Furthermore, the text calls for a common European agenda to support AI research networks and improve access to data, computing resources and scientific talent. The conclusions take note of the Commission's idea to establish a European AI Research Council and call on the Commission to work with Member States to work out the details of this initiative, in particular its mission and governance - to make the best use of existing structures and initiatives.

AI skills for science

The conclusions also emphasize the importance of education and training in the field of AI for researchers and innovators. The aim is to bridge the digital skills gap through education and training programs. This also includes measures to attract, retain and recover AI talent for Europe - especially from underrepresented groups - as well as promoting diversity and gender balance in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

Risk management

The introduction of AI in science also entails risks, such as biased algorithms, data manipulation or ethical issues that could lead to misinformation or disruption. To minimize these risks, the Council calls for the development of quality standards, guidelines and best practices for the use of AI in research - with the aim of ensuring the integrity, transparency and reproducibility of scientific work.
The Council also advocates the open exchange of data according to the FAIR principles (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) and thus promotes access to data, its interoperability and ethical AI practices.

Conclusion

The Council calls for strengthening the integration of AI into science through political support, promoting collaboration, ensuring ethical standards and providing resources for AI education.

Background

According to the Commission's Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, AI is one of the most disruptive technologies and is rapidly becoming a transformative tool for scientific processes. The proportion of scientists using AI in research increased from 12% in 2020 to 16% in 2021. In the European Research Council, AI is already used in almost all disciplines. In 2021-2022, around a quarter of the projects in the Joint Research Center used AI-related technologies.

Source: European Council

Note: The European Council press release has been machine translated. The English original can be found here.

Further information on the ERA Policy Agendas can be found on the website of the EU project INSPIRING ERA and the European Research Area Platform of the European Commission.