Digital Sovereignty and the EU's Identity Between Technological Innovation and European Values

The debate around ‘digital sovereignty’ identifies tensions rooted in the disparity between the EU's considerable economic and regulatory power in digital matters and its limited mandate and capabilities in foreign policy. Artificial intelligence (AI) is considered a strategic industry in Europe and abroad. Whilst most studies have focused on the ‘tech war’ between China and the United States, the role of the EU in this context is often underappreciated in affecting the outcome of this global competition. Nevertheless, contrary to conventional wisdom, so far, the EU has been a key policy entrepreneur with respect to the development and promotion of norms that regulate the use of AI, highlighting in particular a human-centric and trustworthy vision of AI. Focusing on the EU is important because of its relevance in setting norms in this area. In the context of the US–China ‘tech war’, the article thus looks into the EU's position in the global race to technology and, in particular, how it makes sense of the competition in the field of AI. The research aims to shed light on how the EU constructs its identity in this competitive context vis-à-vis the United States and China by investigating the narratives on AI at the EU level. The article carries out an interpretivist narrative analysis of the major policies, regulations and official discussions by the EU, including the AI Act, the European Commission's White Paper and other European Commission's official communications on AI. The article aims to raise awareness of the EU's role in shaping norms and practices on AI and opens up the debate on European identity.