The role of European Digital Innovation Hubs in the European Union policy towards Artificial Intelligence

In the AI Continent Action Plan, European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) have been recognised as the key drivers for advancing AI deployment and innovativeness within the European Union and achieving the goal of becoming a leading AI continent. The aim of this article is to examine the role of EDIHs in the European Union’s agenda on Artificial Intelligence. The research question that drives the article is the following: how do the European Digital Innovation Hubs drive the EU’s digital transformation and the AI deployment? Furthermore, the article examines the role of the EDIHs in the external dimensions of the European Union policy towards Artificial Intelligence. In 2025 the EDIHs network has expanded to Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine and Türkiye. Hence, the paper seeks to examine the role of the EDIHs in the EU AI policy towards partner countries and therefore provide a better understanding on the role of the AI policy in the enlargement processes. The research is based on qualitative methods: the analysis of the EU’s strategies and communication, and the semi-structured interviews with the EU officials.