Study - Generative AI and foundation models in the EU: uptake, opportunities, challenges and a way forward

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is planning to launch a procurement procedure for a study on 'Generative AI and foundation models in the EU: uptake, opportunities, challenges and a way forward'.

WHAT IS THIS PUBLICITY ABOUT?

This announcement is made pursuant to Annex I.14 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 July 2018 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, to award a low value contract for a study as a result of a negotiated procurement procedure. It is published ahead of the procurement procedure with basic information on the subject matter of the contract, to give economic operators the possibility to express interest in participating as tenderers in the subsequent procurement procedure.

DESCRIPTION

With the upcoming adoption of the landmark legislation Artificial Intelligence Act, it is now time to ensure its effective implementation as well as to look beyond, at the next steps facing the EU when comes to this revolutionary technology.

Artificial Intelligence, and more particularly General Purpose Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) is a priority of the Section for the Single Market, Production and Consumption (INT) of the European Economic and Social Committee. Several opinions with political recommendations from the house of the EU's organised civil society are in the pipeline, including the exploratory opinion on GPAI and the way forward after the AI Act adoption requested by the European Commission. The GPAI is also at the forefront of the activities of the EESC Digital Transition and Single Market Observatory.

The main objective of the study is to map value chains in the EU single market relevant to the data provision, development, subsequent service provision and use of GPAI, with particular focus on generative AI and the foundation models it is built on. This analysis will make it possible to evaluate the opportunities and risks ahead of Europe in this field and provide active policy recommendations.

The results of the study will contribute to various EESC activities, including the exploratory opinion on GPAI and the final information document marking the end of the Digital Transition and Single Market Observatory current mandate. Ultimately, it will contribute to the activities leading to the implementation of the Artificial Intelligence Act, including the preparation of the codes of practice on GPAI, and into other activities undertaken by the relevant EU institutions in relation to the topic. The results of the study will also contribute to considerationof the next steps facing the EU in respect of GPAI and to the global discussions on the governance of advanced AI.

More specifically, the study should:

• review the terminology relevant to the subject of the study and explore terms such as generative AI, foundation models, general purpose AI or frontier AI, the contexts in which they are normally used and how these terms differ from each other, and on the basis of that clearly establish the terminology used for the purpose of this study;
• map value chains relevant to the subject of the study and to the EU single market based on the available data and original ground research, including the qualitative as well as quantitative data to complement such an overview - this overview should take into account all relevant actors along the value chain, including the data providers, the companies who develop the relevant models, those who provide services built on these models, the investors and the end-users, in both B2B as well as B2C contexts;
• building on the above-mentioned overview, compare the situation and the value chains in various sectors of the EU single market and examine the differences;
• provide representative study cases by zooming in on three selected sectors where the EU might have a comparative advantage to the rest of the world and where there might be promising future potential in respect of the subject of the study;
• on the basis of the above-mentioned analysis, examine the EU's weaknesses and strengths in the field;
• provide active policy recommendations related to the opportunities and risks in respect of the subject of the study, including the potential systemic risks;
• and provide recommendations on the role that organised civil society can play in setting up governance of GPAI that would enable the EU to take advantage of the opportunities while minimising the risks.

Languages/geographical area

The study should be carried out in English and cover the region of the European Union. It should take into account the data providers, model developers, product and service providers, investors and users relevant to the subject of this study based and/or active in the European Union´s single market as well as actors with whom they interact as part of the respective value chain no matter where these actors are based.

Indicative timeline

1. Launch of the invitation to tender: 2^nd quarter 2024.
2. Deadline for submission of tenders: 2^nd quarter 2024, approximately 3 weeks following the launch of the invitation to tender.
3. Contract award: 2^nd quarter 2024.
4. The final study report is expected within seven months following the signature of the contract.
5. Preliminary results and their presentation: 4^th quarter 2024.

WHO MAY EXPRESS INTEREST TO BE INVITED IN THE SUBSEQUENT CALL FOR TENDERS?

Participation is open on equal terms to all natural and legal persons established in the European Union (EU) or in a third country which has a special agreement with the EU in the field of public procurement on the conditions laid down in that agreement. This includes:

• All EU Member States;
• Parties to special international agreements with the EU in the field of public procurement:
  • European Economic Area agreement (EEA): Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein;
  • Stabilisation and Association Agreements (SAA): North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.

HOW TO EXPRESS INTEREST?

Entities established in a country that has access to the procurement can express interest to participate in the planned procedure by filling in and submitting the contact form via the link at the bottom of this page.

DATA PROTECTION

By submitting your contact details, you consent to the EESC processing this personal data in line with this Privacy Statement. To access, change or delete your data at any moment, please contact the data controller by sending an email to studies-eesc@eesc.europa.eu

DISCLAIMER

Please note that this announcement does not create any obligation for the EESC to launch a procurement procedure. The EESC will take the submitted information into account only to identify potential candidates. Expressing interest to participate in this type of negotiated procedure does not create any legal right or legitimate expectation on the part of any economic operator, and the EESC has the right to cancel the procedure at any time. The documents of the actual call for tenders (invitation letter, tender specifications and draft contract) will only be provided to the identified candidates when the procedure is launched, and any tender received from a legal or natural person not invited to tender will be rejected.