European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Friday for a continent-wide push to develop self-driving cars, saying artificial intelligence could help revive the region's struggling automotive sector and improve road safety.

Speaking at the Italian Tech Week in Turin, Italy's automotive hub, von der Leyen urged the European Union to adopt an "AI first" strategy across strategic industries, with a focus on mobility.

"Self-driving cars are already a reality in the United States and China. The same should be true here in Europe," she said, adding that "AI first" also meant "safety first".

Her remarks come as Brussels seeks to bolster industrial competitiveness, while local automakers struggle to keep up with foreign technology development, particularly by China and the Unite

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