EU outlines plan to strengthen cybersecurity against AI risks

The European Commission has presented a plan to manage cybersecurity risks from advanced AI while using the technology to improve digital defenses. The initiative will coordinate EU countries, industry and EU-level organisations as AI systems create new ways to find vulnerabilities, automate attacks and increase the scale and speed of cyber incidents.

Key measures include building EU evaluation capacity for advanced AI models under the AI Act, with support for third-party assessment of AI capabilities and risks and the regulatory work of the AI Office. The Commission will also work with the EU Agency for Cybersecurity on a European blueprint for structured access to advanced AI capabilities, aimed at helping public and private organisations use the most powerful systems for cybersecurity.

The EU Agency for Cybersecurity and the Joint Research Centre will create a secure testing platform, including simulated environments, to help critical-sector operators use AI safely. The plan also calls for stronger cyber hygiene, risk management and security by design, alongside faster use of AI to fix vulnerabilities and respond to attacks.

The Commission plans to scale European AI capabilities through AI Factories, future Gigafactories infrastructure and the European Tech equity capacity, while launching an EU Grand Challenge on AI for cybersecurity.