ABSTRACT This article investigates the EU’s global potential leadership and actorness in the development and diffusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI). In the EU, AI has raised societal and policy concern due to persisting evidence of the technology disregarding ethical principles and fundamental rights. To address these risks, European institutions and politicians project leadership claims for global norms underpinned by a human-centric and rights-based approach. This article qualitatively assesses the extent to which such leadership claims can be realised through the lens actorness. It concludes that whilst EU official discourse is ambitious in tone, for the EU to realise its potential and exercise effective exemplary and diplomatic leadership in the global AI domain, it must address existing deficiencies in its actorness capabilities internally and externally.
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