Our impact in 2024: How the European AI & Society Fund is meeting the AI challenge
In 2024 we saw Big Tech’s stranglehold tighten.
Investments in AI reached mind-boggling levels, while the costs to the public have continued to mount – from gig workers being fired by algorithms, to chatbots producing election misinformation and the mushrooming of energy hungry data centres. Our annual report sets out how the European AI & Society Fund stepped up to meet this growing AI challenge. We launched our Build and Breakthrough initiatives which fund work to create and enforce robust rules around AI that protect the public and hold those responsible to account for harms.
Our annual report captures the transformative work that our community has achieved, shares insights from our grantmaking and fieldbuilding, and sets out our ambition for the path ahead.
Over the year we awarded €3.5 million in new grants, supporting 45 organisations and 14 fellows across 19 countries to do groundbreaking work that put the public interest at the heart of the AI debate.
And we secured more than €5 million in new funding, welcoming 4 new funding partners and growing our community to 17 foundations.
“We are proud to support the European AI & Society Fund’s crucial role and purpose in the European funding and civil society landscape. We believe that decisions about AI’s role in society must be made by people, with people, and for people. This collective philanthropic effort is key to ensuring that AI is built in a way that is responsible and equitable for everyone.” Fanny Hidvegi, Policy Director, AI Collaborative, an initiative of The Omidyar Group.
“Being part of the EAISF community allows us to take a collaborative and international approach to building a more inclusive digital environment.” Constance Garnier, Lead, Digital Initiative, Fondation de France