The Austrian ministries have some catching up in dealing with artificial intelligence (AI). According to a report from the Auditors’ Court published on Friday, the departments had no strategic foundations for their use and this “Although AI requests were already in operation or in planning”.
There were also no mandatory regulations for employees for transparent use and labeling AI applications during the research period.
From March to June 2024, the RV checked the use of artificial intelligence in federal chancellery, the Ministry of Finance, the then Ministry of Climate Protection, the Ministry of Culture and Civil Service and the Federal Ministry. The background is the mandatory European AI law. This requires a binding definition of AI systems. An AI authority and an AI service point have already been founded in Austria.
Meet “general and abstract”
The AI strategy of the federal government already gave strategic goals in 2021. However, the measures planned there were “usually in general and abstractly formulated and the responsibilities for implementation were not quickly determined,” the RH criticizes. A link to the budget was missing and the countries were not involved in the development of the strategy. In the EU -comparison, Austria published its AI strategy “relatively late”.
The Ministry of Climate Protection and the Civil Service and the Federal Rechenzentrum took measures to inform employees about dealing with AI-based applications, but had not issued any compulsory regulations. The Chancellery “had no corresponding measures or mandatory regulations”. None of the adopted positions obliged employees to transparently mark the use of applications and content generated by AI.
Different recommendations
When implementing the AI act, the design of the overall coordination should be made when designing the structure of the authorities and the determination of the competent authorities, a recommendation of the RH. The training and further education of the employees involved in AI would also be “further intensified”. Last but not least, the examiners require compulsory regulations for employees, including regulations for transparent labeling of the use of AI applications and content generated by AI.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
