EU Commission unveils AI and cybersecurity action plan

The European Commission has unveiled a new Action Plan for Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence. The goal: make advanced AI safer to deploy while boosting Europe’s resilience against increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks. Published on July 7, the plan builds on existing EU rules including the AI Act, the NIS2 Directive, and the Cyber Resilience Act.

According to the Commission, AI is rapidly reshaping the cybersecurity landscape. It can help find vulnerabilities faster, detect attacks earlier, and better protect critical infrastructure. But the same technology also arms cybercriminals with new ways to automate attacks at scale and exploit security flaws more quickly.

A core pillar of the plan is to harden advanced AI models before they reach the European market. To that end, the Commission will expand capacity to rigorously test and evaluate AI systems, fully aligned with the EU AI Act.

The Commission will also work with the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) on a European blueprint for secure access to advanced AI systems. In addition, a secure testbed will allow organizations in vital sectors to trial AI solutions safely before real-world deployment.

This facility is intended for:

The Commission says this should significantly reduce the risks tied to deploying powerful AI systems.

The action plan goes beyond regulation, pushing for broader use of AI across the cybersecurity sector. Organizations are encouraged to leverage AI to spot vulnerabilities sooner and handle incidents more effectively.

Brussels does not rule out open-source AI models. When deployed securely, they can accelerate the detection of security issues and strengthen defenses against cyberthreats, the Commission notes.

At the same time, the Commission stresses that existing laws—including NIS2, the Cyber Resilience Act, and the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA)—must be fully implemented to bolster Europe’s digital resilience.

Beyond cybersecurity, Brussels aims to strengthen the European AI ecosystem. The Commission is launching an EU Grand Challenge for AI and Cybersecurity to unite companies, researchers, and organizations in building innovative AI security solutions.

The EU will also keep investing in strategic AI infrastructure, building on initiatives like European AI Factories and future Gigafactories. Brussels wants to attract more private capital to scale European AI faster and reduce reliance on foreign technology.

The plan underscores a clear stance: AI is both an opportunity and a security challenge. While AI helps organizations detect and prevent attacks sooner, it also lowers the barrier for adversaries to run automated, large-scale operations.

By combining regulation, investment, and collaboration, the EU aims to ensure AI’s technological edge doesn’t come at the expense of digital safety. The action plan complements existing EU AI and cybersecurity policies and signals Europe’s ambition to be both technologically advanced and strategically self-reliant.

According to the Commission, governments, businesses, researchers, and international partners must jointly ensure the safe development and deployment of AI—so Europe can harness its benefits without compromising digital resilience.