Researching AI in the Center of the Commission
About the author: Jack Schallich ’25 is a Global Studies/FSI The Europe Center intern with the Lisbon Council in Brussels, Belgium. Jack is studying International Relations at Stanford University.
After landing and making my way through customs, I jumped into a taxi to my hotel for the first few nights in Brussels. The ride was much shorter than expected. Before I knew it, we were driving past the European Commission’s complex. It was like my Instagram feed was coming to life. The excitement I felt for my internship and time in Brussels became 10 times more intense. When walking to the Lisbon Council office for my first day, I marveled at the Commission’s campus and the diversity of languages swirling around me. In the building in front of the Lisbon Council was the classic red carpet lined with the flags of member states. The flag-lined carpet is featured prominently in EU media during summits, events, and foreign visits.
In the office, I met the other Stanford intern, Nadia, and one of our coworkers, Stella. They, along with all staff members of the Lisbon Council, were incredibly friendly and helpful from onboarding and throughout the internship. I was very much looking forward to using the knowledge and skills I developed in my Europe-focused classes at Stanford. During my initial meeting with the intern coordinator, David, I was assigned to assist with an AI policy brief ordered by the Commission. My knowledge of AI was limited, as its inclusion in my Stanford courses only recently increased as its prominence in international relations has grown in the past year or so. Nevertheless, I was ready to dive deep into the subject and help the project in whatever way possible.
The policy brief was focused on the role of AI, VR, and AR in education and skills learning from preschool through adult education. As a research associate, I spent my days searching the Stanford library and other academic repositories to locate and review literature on the topic. It was incredibly interesting to not only learn about this issue, but view it through an EU-centric lens. I read dozens of articles covering the roles these technologies currently play in education and their value as tools, EU member states regulation as well as those of the EU as a body. While the information was new to me, I was able to hit the ground running as my Stanford courses provided a strong foundation on the operations of the EU and many of its member states. My recent spring quarter in Florence was also helpful as I spent significant time in one of the bloc’s most prominent member states, observing firsthand the EU’s impact on everyday life in Italy.
I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work for the Lisbon Council and live in Brussels. Being able to apply my skills and knowledge to the work of the Lisbon Council while also learning was very rewarding. My program significantly impacted my academic and professional plans, in part, as I found Brussels to be an amazing city and somewhere I could see myself living at some point in the future. I am forever appreciative to the Stanford Europe Center and the Lisbon Council for providing me with this fantastic opportunity and for being so incredibly supportive before and during my internship.
