AI Act: Establishment of a panel of experts

 

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act envisages the establishment of a scientific panel of independent experts to advise on, and assist the AI Office and national market surveillance authorities with, implementing and enforcing the AI Act. The EU Commission has published an implementing regulation on the creation of such a panel.

An independent scientific panel comprising experts in artificial intelligence (referred to as the “scientific panel”) should be established to assist with the enforcement of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 and to provide guidance and support to the European Artificial Intelligence Office (the “AI Office”) in carrying out its responsibilities.

Members of the scientific panel should be selected based on objective criteria following an open call for expressions of interest. The selection criteria outlined in the call should ensure the appointment of highly qualified experts with multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary backgrounds. These experts should possess up-to-date knowledge in scientific, sociotechnical, or technical aspects of artificial intelligence (AI), its impacts, and other relevant areas essential for the effective enforcement of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689. Their expertise may include applied AI sectors, fundamental rights, and equality, where relevant. Moreover, panel members should be capable of acting independently and in the public interest. The call for expressions of interest should define the application process, and supporting documents, such as attestations from public authorities of EU Member States or European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members within the European Economic Area (EEA), may be required to verify candidates’ qualifications.

To ensure both efficiency and a broad range of expertise, the scientific panel should not exceed 60 members, as determined in consultation with the European Artificial Intelligence Board (the “Board”). The specific number of experts appointed for each term should be defined in the call for expressions of interest, considering the anticipated workload and required expertise, with input from the Board. The Commission will periodically review this number based on experience and may revise it as part of a potential amendment to the Regulation.

The selection process should follow principles that promote diversity among the experts. The Commission should strive to achieve gender balance and fair geographical representation. To ensure geographical diversity, at least one expert from each EU Member State and each EFTA member within the EEA should be appointed, provided there are qualified applicants from those countries. However, no more than three experts should be selected from any individual country. Acknowledging the value of diverse perspectives, experts from third countries may also be appointed. Nonetheless, at least four-fifths of the panel members should be nationals of EU Member States or EFTA members within the EEA.

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