SIS 47 To AI or not to AI

29 April 2026

Special Interest Session, Safety and resilience through intelligent systems

Special Interest Session • SIS 47 • 09:00 > 10:00 • SIS 47 To AI or not to AI • EMIRGAN 1 Special Interest Session
The discussion within the Traffic Management community on the impact of the European AI Act on its business and operations started with the European Commission proposal for the AI Act in 2021, and continued with the Act’s approval by the European Parliament and Council in 2024. The entry into force of the Act’s provisions on 1 August 2024 intensified the Traffic Management stakeholders’ demand for the European Commission to re-visit the Act’s categorisation of Traffic Management under the High Risk category on the applications using AI as it hampers business development, reduces the innovation potential and deprives Europe from opportunities to competitively compete at the global level. The traffic community argues that the risk -based approach of the EU AI Act on categorising AI applications into levels of risk ranging from unacceptable to minimal should not apply to the Traffic Management sector. The AI Act, with its current provisions deems the AI systems used in the management and operation of critical infrastructure (such as the management of the road network and its digital infrastructure), as potentially negatively affecting the health and safety of people, their fundamental rights or the environment, if left unregulated due to the danger of misuse or system failure. The Session will run a debate excercise (role play) on whether the extra administrative and regulatory burdens and requirements imposed by the AI Act on the products and stand alone AI systems employed in traffic management are justifiable. The Speakers will be asked to argue for and against and participants will be asked to vote on the winning arguments put forward.

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