11:00-11:10
Welcome note
Holger Hoos, Leiden University, VISION Project Coordinator, the Netherlands
Video introducing the Networks of AI excellence centres
11:10-11:20
Introduction of EU priorities and next steps: Building European AI capacity – Excellence & Trust
Lucilla Sioli, Director, AI & Digital Industry, Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT), European Commission
11:20-11:45
Round-table discussion
The new plans announced by the European Commission on 21 April 2021
Moderator
Emanuela Girardi, POP Ai, Member of the High-Level Expert Group on AI of the Italian Government (MiSE), Italy
Dita Charanzová, Vice-President, European Parliament
Kristian Kersting, TU Darmstadt, Germany (for academia)
Ieva Martinkenaite, VP AI, Telenor, Norway (for industry)
Gabriele Mazzini, DG CNECT, European Commission
On 21 April, the European Commission will present their future plans and ambitions to support AI in Europe. This is expected to contribute to safeguarding the fundamental EU values and rights as well as support an ecosystem of excellence and trust for European AI. In this session, we/our panellists will analyse the proposal and its impact on society, industry and research. We will also discuss how this proposal is connected to the ideas shared on the White Paper on AI (2021) and the previous contributions such as the Ethics guidelines for trustworthy AI. Join our panel members to hear their thoughts and insights!
11:45-12:00
Introduction of the European Networks of AI Excellence Centres
Video vignettes of: AI4Media / ELISE / Human-AI-Net / TAILOR
The four newly established networks of excellence (NoEs) – AI4Media, Elise, Humane-AI Net and Tailor – are bringing together scientists across Europe to achieve global impact in human-centric, trustworthy AI. In this video, they will introduce themselves and explain what they are doing and how they are supporting AI excellence in Europe.
12:00-12:30
3 Parallel Sessions
Society Focus
- Human-centric approach
- AI&COVID-19
- Societal challenges
Moderator: Anne Fleur van Veenstra, TNO, the Netherlands
Panellists:
Virginia Dignum, Umeå University, Sweden
Nuria Oliver, ELLIS, Spain
Benoit Rottembourg, Inria, France
Paolo Traverso, FBK, Italy
About
Artificial Intelligence is quickly developing and becoming part of our everyday lives. Especially with the Covid-19 crisis, we have seen how AI can help tackle challenges in healthcare and society. AI is also supporting the democratic process and policy making – for examples to make the right decisions in public policy. But this also requires regulations for AI, including ethical standards, that are trustworthy, transparent and secure.This panel will discuss the potential advantages and risk of AI for society and what steps are already taken in Europe in this direction and how we can move towards a fully human-centric approach.
Industry Focus
- Uptake of AI to decrease economic crisis
- Innovation ecosystem. DIHs
Moderator: Odessa Primus, Global Arena Research Institute (GARI), Czech Republic
Panellists:
Giovanna Galasso, PwC, Italy
Cécile Huet, DG CNECT, European Commission
Reinhard Lafrenz, euRobotics
Philipp Slusallek, DFKI, Germany
About
AI has the potential to support industry competitiveness in Europe. From advances in predictive maintenance, to making manufacturing smarter and more competitive. AI could be seen in facilitating the work of humans and machines. AI solutions could support the need for flexibility and quick response in the production, or develope new generations of products and services. How can we establish a leading position of EU industry? How do we compare with other world forces like the US and China? To support the adoption and deployment of digital and AI solutions we need a strong innovation ecosystem to help industry and especially SMEs use AI opportunities. Instruments like the Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) can make industry in better understand how can AI support their business and how to adopt AI and other advanced technologies.
Skills & Training Focus
- Education and personal development in AI
Moderator: Barry O’Sullivan, University College Cork, Ireland
Panellists:
Andreas Geiger, University of Tübingen, Germany
Fredrik Heintz, Linköping University, Sweden
Ioannis Pitas, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Sara Polak, prg.ai, Czech Republic
About
The expected impact of Artificial Intelligence on society and industry is significant. But deployment of AI also means that we need to ensure the right skills are available – both to work in AI and to upskill the workforce. And we need strong centres and networks of excellence in AI to attract and retain talent in Europe. How can we address the skills and education needs in AI in Europe and what are the challenges and good practices? These are some of the questions in this panel. lives to be safe and secure. What is more the Skills & Society Focus Panel will address ethical topics, safety & security topic in AI. Ethical regulation for AI is a big challenge, but it is necessary to protect people in society but also in their private lives to be safe and secure. Join the discussion!
12:30-13:00
Plenary – Joint conclusion of the sessions and wrap up
The final plenary session will bring all moderators together to present the conclusions and most important outcomes of the previously led discussions: how is AI changing industry, society and skills development and how Europe can develop an ecosystem of excellence in trust where society, industry and academia make full use of the AI opportunities