The Apply AI Strategy marks a new step towards making the EU an AI Continent. It builds on the AI Continent Action Plan and the EU’s commitment to trustworthy and human-centric AI, in line with the AI Act. The Strategy is designed to harness the transformative potential of AI to boost innovation, accelerate productivity, and reinforce Europe’s industrial strength. It encourages organisations to adopt an AI-first policy, treating AI as a strategic tool in decision-making, while carefully weighing its benefits and risks.

The Strategy focuses on three main areas. First, it introduces sectoral flagships that promote AI use in key industries such as healthcare, mobility, manufacturing, energy, and the public sector. Second, it tackles cross-cutting challenges to support SMEs, build an AI-ready workforce, and strengthen the EU’s technological sovereignty. Third, it establishes a single governance mechanism through the Apply AI Alliance and the AI Observatory to ensure coordinated implementation, stakeholder engagement, and ongoing monitoring of AI developments.

Through initiatives such as AI Factories and Gigafactories, Experience Centres for AI, and AI Testing and Experimentation Facilities, the Strategy supports European innovation and adoption of safe, high-quality AI solutions. By fostering collaboration among policymakers, industry, academia, and civil society, the Apply AI Strategy seeks to make AI a catalyst for competitiveness, resilience, and inclusive growth in Europe’s economy and society.