Takeaways from the 4th AI Community Workshop & AIDA Symposium
The 4th AI Community Workshop 2024 & AIDA Symposium took place on 26 and 27 June 2024 in Thessaloniki, Greece. This two-day event, hosted by AI4Media’s coordinating partner, CERTH-ITI, co-organised by VISION CSA together with the European Networks of Excellence in AI, Data and Robotics, brought a lot of interesting insights into the issues discussed. The first day was dedicated to the European AI NoE community, while the second day focused on AI and education topics within AIDA Symposium: “AI Education Beyond Borders”, that was organised as the 5th edition of the AIDA AI Mellontology symposium series. What did the participants take away from the event? Find out in the following videos, which are also available as a special playlist on AI4Media’s YT channel. Recordings of selected sessions from the event are also available HERE.
Summary of key takeaways in the testimonials
Value of the Community Workshop as a networking event
The community workshop was an extremely well-organized, successful, and highly enjoyable networking event. It provided high engagement, motivation, and valuable networking opportunities for participants. The workshop facilitated reconnecting with previous attendees and learning about the work of other Networks of Excellence (NoEs). Through many discussion opportunities, it contributed to building a strong network. Furthermore, the workshop offered insights into current AI developments, establishing it as the prime European AI networking event. Attendees affirmed that these events provide immense value in strengthening community collaboration.
Importance of collaboration and community building
Collaboration is widely recognized as crucial for developing AI in Europe and tackling complex challenges, though it is definitely challenging. This workshop served as an opportunity to strengthen the AI community by facilitating new connections. These new connections will contribute to future research and the development of the European AI landscape and they are absolutely essential for facilitating collaboration within the AI community. Underlying this, is the idea that building relationships and fostering trust is key for successful future joint efforts.
Looking at the future of AI
Many discussions at the workshop focused on generative AI’s impact and ensuring its fair, inclusive, and trustworthy development. The European AI community needs to identify areas where Europe can excel in AI to address competition. A key aspect is the future of AI education, curricula reform, and training of future experts. The workshop provided insights into AI’s future implications for education, research, and society. Moreover, it covered strengthening and developing the European AI community further to meet emerging challenges.
Sustainability and funding
It is important to identify valuable NoE research for continued funding. Participants recognized that preventing the loss of important results from ending projects is a key concern. Finding alternative funding models is crucial for sustaining impactful activities.
The importance of in-person meetings
While acknowledging the importance of hybrid formats, many emphasize that physical meetings allow for better exchanges and future planning. Despite this being VISION’s last event, participants expressed a strong desire for such events to continue. A key benefit highlighted was that the in-person aspect enabled meeting colleagues previously only known online and building friendships.
Role of Networks of Excellence (NoEs)
Networks of Excellence (NoEs) play a crucial role in advancing AI research and development in Europe. The workshop highlighted their valuable collaborative work and research output. Notably, the event revealed the interconnectedness of these networks and how they collectively shape the research landscape. The 4th CW highlighted the fruition of NoEs’ work over the past years and the active engagement of the new NoEs.
Education and AI
At the workshop, generative AI’s impact on educators, researchers, and students was a major topic. There was an emphasis on the role of AI education in advancing the field, covering fairness, trustworthiness, and PhDs. Overall, the event and the AIDA symposium on day 2 provided a platform to exchange ideas on AI education programs which are shared among the NoEs.
Personal experience
The organizing team’s efforts were deeply appreciated, including the hosting by CERTH. Attendees expressed personal satisfaction in being part of this community. Importantly, it was a memorable experience to connect in-person after years of only online interactions.