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Artificial Intelligence 2021 Delivering AI with impact in Europe

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Artificial Intelligence 2021 Delivering AI with impact in Europe

Event Overview

The EU’s Artificial Intelligence legislative proposals are due in April and will attempt to further develop a European approach to and application of AI that balances social, economic, innovation, and ethical imperatives.

Forum Europe’s 3rd Annual Artificial Intelligence conference will gather some 1000 participants from around Europe and beyond to examine what the proposals should look like, focussing on the following key areas:

- How to govern AI in an EU way, through ecosystems of trust and excellence, and how this will fit with global AI governance;
- The state of play as to how emerging EU and member state rules will interact, and whether there is now a danger of fragmentation and divergence within Europe;
- Developing common standards and definitions, particularly around conformity assessments and concepts of high-risk applications;
- The further development of data availability, sharing, and collaboration concepts, alongside emerging cloud architectures and cooperations, and what they will mean for AI roll-out in Europe.

This year’s event will feature a significant focus on AI and its potential to deliver positive impacts in the area of health and disease prevention and will look ahead to new rules on clarifying AI liability coming later in the year.

Speakers

Thierry Breton*

Commissioner for Internal Market

European Commission

*pre-recorded speech

Carme Artigas

Secretary of State for Digitalization and AI

Government of Spain

Dorothee Bär*

Minister of State for Digitalisation, Federal Chancellory

Federal Republic of Germany

*pre-recorded speech

Dragoş Tudorache, MEP

Chair of the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in the Digital Age (AIDA)

European Parliament

Maria Rautavirta

Director of Data Business Unit

Ministry of Transport and Communications, Finland

Yvo Volman

Acting Director of Data and Head of Unit, Data Policy and Innovation, DG CONNECT

European Commission

Kilian Gross

Head of Unit, Artificial Intelligence Policy Development and Coordination, DG CONNECT

European Commission

Yiannos Tolias

Legal Lead on AI and AI Liability Unit B3, European Reference Networks and Digital Health DG SANTE

European Commission

Isidro Laso Ballesteros

Cabinet Expert for Commissioner Mariya Gabriel

European Commission

Dr. Sebastian Wieczorek

Vice President - Artificial Intelligence Technology

SAP SE

Lara Natale

Director, Tech, Media, Telecom & Mobility

CERRE

Karine Perset

Administrator - Artificial Intelligence Policy Observatory

OECD

Thomas Boué

Director General of EMEA Policy

BSA | The Software Alliance

Loubna Bouarfa,

CEO and Co-founder

OKRA Tech

Jeremy Rollison

Senior Director, EU Government Affairs

Microsoft Europe

Meriem Riadi

Group Chief Digital Officer

Suez

Daniel Leufer

Europe Policy Analyst

Access Now

Roberto Zicari

Founder, Frankfurt Big Data Lab

Goethe University

Laure Wynants

Assistant Professor, Epidemiologie, School for Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences,

University of Maastricht

Eline Chivot

Senior Adviser on Digital Policy

European People's Party

Paul Adamson

Chairman

Forum Europe

Nicole Büttner

CEO and Co-Founder

Merantix Labs

Simon Greaves

Executive Director

Harwood Levitt Consulting

Michael Strübin

Director, Digital Health

MedTech Europe

Paul Adamson

Chairman

Forum Europe

View More Speakers

Agenda

*** TIMES ARE IN CET ***

10:00 - 10:45

Opening Keynote Session

Paul Adamson, Chairman, Forum Europe (Moderator)

Thierry Breton, Internal Market Commissioner, European Commission (via pre-recorded video)

Carme Artigas, Secretary of State for Digitalization and AI, Government of Spain

Dragoş Tudorache, MEP, Chair of Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in the Digital Age (AIDA)

Isidro Laso Ballesteros, Cabinet Expert for Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, European Commission

10:45- 12:00

Session One | Trust, Excellence, and the Governance of AI

In September 2020, President Von der Leyen reiterated the Commission’s ambitions to support the development and use of ‘human centric AI’. Prior to the release of the legislative proposals on Artificial Intelligence in April 2021, this session will examine what the proposal’s provisions are expected to be and explore the extent to which they address the twin objectives of boosting the development and uptake of AI and of addressing the risks in line with European values. Speakers will debate the extent to which new proposed rules clarifying AI liability expected to be released later on this year are necessary in order to offer protections against specific risks that could be triggered by the use of certain AI applications. This session will also discuss how concepts of an ‘ecosystem of trust’ and an ‘ecosystem of excellence’, previously introduced in the White Paper released in 2020 are closely interlinked and how they can reinforce each other to support the adoption of AI across society and to develop a solid and vibrant AI industry in Europe.

Moderator: Lara Natale, Director of Tech, Media, Telecom, and Mobility, CERRE

Kilian Gross, Head of Unit, Artificial Intelligence Policy Development and Coordination, DG CONNECT, European Commission

Karine Perset, Administrator of OECD AI Policy Observatory, OECD

Sebastian Wieczorek, Vice President - Artificial Intelligence Technology, SAP SE

Thomas Boué, Director General of EMEA Policy, BSA | The Software Alliance

Daniel Leufer, Europe Policy Analyst, Access Now

12:00 - 13:10

Lunch Break

13:10 - 13:15

Afternoon Keynote Speech

Dorothee Bär, State Minister for Digitalisation, Federal Chancellory, Federal Republic of Germany (via pre-recorded video)

13:15- 14:30

Session Two | Data, Cloud and Computing Infrastructure for AI: Where is Europe headed?

AI’s true potential in supporting Europe’s economic growth can only be unleashed if quality data is accessible and if the appropriate computing infrastructure is deployed to underpin this. As AI applications depend on data to train and develop algorithms and machine-learning models, it is essential that data sets used are of high-quality, come in large enough volumes, are unbiased, and that an infrastructure capable of powerful data analysis is in place. To meet these conditions, the European Commission has released a number of initiatives including the European Strategy for Data – which outlines a series of actions for the coming years to and foresees spending of up to €6 billion to create a European single market for data, – along with infrastructure plans under the Digital Europe Programme to support high-performance, edge and quantum computing, as well as cloud infrastructure. This session will discuss these policy initiatives, identify possible gaps and challenges that will need to be addressed to accelerate access to, and the sharing and processing of industrial data, both key elements to the deployment of Artificial Intelligence across Europe.

Moderator: Eline Chivot, Senior Adviser on Digital Policy, European People's Party

Yvo Volman, Acting Director of Data and Head of UNit, Data Policy and Innovation, DG CONNECT, European Commission

Maria Rautavirta, Director of Data Business Unit, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Finland

Jeremy Rollison, Senior Director, EU Government Affairs, Microsoft Europe

Meriem Riadi, Group Chief Digital Officer, Suez

Nicole Büttner, CEO and Co-Founder, Merantix Labs

14:30- 16:00

Session Three | AI and Healthcare

Nowhere is the application of AI more controversial and at the same time, promising, than in the area of healthcare. In 2021, the European Commission proposes to further the development of its health data spaces in Europe, both for primary and secondary use of data, as a means of facilitating innovation and insight to improve health outcomes. With the global pandemic as the context, this session will look at how artificial intelligence is currently being utilised in Europe within the health care sector, how it could be applied in future and deployed to support disease prevention, and where the medical profession and society might see the greatest benefit. Given Covid-19 and its impact on economies, livelihoods and lives, is it necessary to rethink how technology is utilised in the health sector?

Simon Greaves, Executive Director, Harwood Levitt Consulting

Yiannos Tolias, Legal Lead on AI and AI Liability, Unit B3, European Reference Networks and Digital Health, DG SANTE, European Commission

Laure Wynants, Assistant Professor, Epidemiologie, School for Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Maastricht

Roberto Zicari, Founder, Frankfurt Big Data Lab, Goethe University

Loubna Bouarfa, CEO and Co-Founder, OKRATech, & Member of High-Level AI Group

Michael Strübin, Director, Digital Health, MedTech Europe

AI Research Hub

The AI Research Hub is an area where academics, researchers and innovators demonstrate their work in Applied AI around ethics and trust through pre-recorded presentations. All delegates have the opportunity to visit this area throughout the duration of the conference. Below is the list of projects participating in the AI Research Hub:

Ethical Values for Artificial Systems: A New Approach

Presented By: Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, IIIA-CSIC

In recent years, much attention in the AI community has shifted towards the ethical considerations that should be addressed when building and deploying artificial systems. In our view, autonomous artificial agents should be provided with the necessary computational tools to ensure that their operation complies with and respects the moral values that us, as humans, deem most important in the context where the AI will operate. We advocate for the potential of technical norms (analogous to regulations) as value-promoting mechanisms, with the capacity to steer behaviour towards outcomes where our values our upheld. In this talk, we will present our overall view on the topic, the approach we take towards ethics in artificial system, and present some preliminary results from recent work.

Towards a European Lighthouse Centre for AI ("CERN for AI")

Presented By: Holger Hoos, Chair of Board of Directors and Director for Research, Confederation of Laboratories for Artificial Intelligence Research in Europe (CLAIRE)

The European AI research landscape is populated by many excellent AI researchers and research groups, yet highly fragmented and increasingly strained by brain drain and international competition. In order to protect Europe’s technological sovereignty and to achieve a global success for “human-centred, trustworthy AI made in Europe”, we must overcome this fragmentation and create critical mass. This requires swift and decisive action, through existing and novel instruments, to efficiently support outstanding AI researchers and to create structures that facilitate effective collaboration and transfer of results.

A key component of this investment, as envisioned by the European AI research community and beyond, is a European Lighthouse Centre for AI – a one-of-a-kind facility that brings together Europe’s top experts in AI and supports their work on large-scale projects at a level not found anywhere else, that becomes a global magnet for talent and a beacon for European ambition and capability in human-centred, trustworthy AI.

In this presentation, Prof. Holger Hoos, Chair of the Board of Directors and Director of Research of CLAIRE (the Confederation of Laboratories for AI Research in Europe), will explain why a European Lighthouse Centre for AI (or “CERN for AI”) is needed, what it should look like, and how it can play a crucial role in addressing grand challenges for Europe and the world (e.g., health and disease prevention; climate; energy and mobility; food and natural resources; and inclusive, secure societies). He will also explain how this facility can be embedded into a broader vision for excellence across all of AI, for all of Europe, with a human-centered focus.

Ethical Development of AI Applications

Presented By: Eunika Mercier-Laurent, Chair IFIP TC12 (AI), MODECO/CReSTIC University of Reims

Based on our experience, facing today complex problems requires combination of various AI techniques and applying of appropriate method. Guided by principle of “AI for humanity” (C. Villani) and “innovating with the users” (D. Amidon) such approach leads to useful research and applications helping people in their activities through created synergy human-machine. Involving the pilot users creates trust. Discovering of unexpressed needs may lead to new research. AI based on exploring of past data can be enhanced with knowledge-based AI in aim to provide more accurate results for immediate exploration. In many cases the evaluation of impacts that may be produced by research results/applications is necessary before doing using various simulation methods.

Ethical and Legal Implications of AI

Presented By:
Jan De Bruyne, Thomas Margoni and Geertrui Van Overwalle, CITIP, Faculty of Law, KU Leuven
Jens Bürger, Leuven.AI, KU Leuven

The creation of Leuven.AI, the KU Leuven Institute for Artificial Intelligence, was partly driven by promoting interdisciplinary investigations into artificial intelligence. Besides methodological and applicational research, Leuven.AI dedicates a distinct research line to the philosophical, ethical, legal and societal implications of AI in acknowledgement of the deeply transformative role this technology plays in our societies. In this presentation, we will showcase three recent projects on liability, copyright and open innovation.

The first part reflects on the allocation of liability between actors involved in the supply chain when AI causes damage. This emphasis on liability is not surprising considering that AI systems will increasingly cause damage. Nevertheless, the application of liability regimes for damage caused by AI systems can be challenging. The characteristics of AI systems make it difficult to trace back potentially problematic decisions made with the involvement of such systems. This in turn may make it challenging for victims to obtain compensation under different liability regimes. This part will focus on some challenges that arise when applying liability regimes to damage caused by AI and provide normative solutions to overcome some of the identified issues.

The second part will discuss the role that copyright and connected rights play in the process of training models for machine learning purposes. The discussion will focus on the current status of EU copyright law and will try to identify how the rights under analysis can foster an open, transparent, competitive and trusted AI environment.

The final part will focus on AI from a patent law perspective. A first series of questions will revolve around the eligibility of AI for patent protection and the position of the ‘inventor’. A second series of questions will focus on open innovation models in AI and beyond, and introduce some basic concepts which are fundamental in this discussion. (1) What is open? Reference will be made to the concept of ‘open innovation’ versus ‘commons’; (2) To whom is it open? Attention will be drawn to the taxonomy of openness: one to one, one to some, one to all, some to some, etc. and concepts such as license of right, patent pool and clearing house; (3) How can openness be enforced? Introduction of the concept of inclusive patent.

Trustworthy AI Implementation (TAII) Framework

Presented By: Josef Baker-Brunnbauer, Founder, SocialTechLab

Companies and their stakeholder need practical tools and implementation guidelines besides abstract frameworks to kick off the realization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) ethics. Based on previous research outcome AI development companies are still in the beginning of this process or have not even started yet. How is it possible to decrease the entry level barrier to kickoff AI ethics implementation? This work tackles this question by combining AI ethics research with previous research findings to create the Trustworthy AI Implementation (TAII) framework. A literature review was conducted and that specifies the research and implementation status for each process step. The aim is to kickoff AI ethics and to transfer research and abstract guidelines from academia to business. The TAII process generates a meta perspective on the systemic dependencies of ethics for the company ecosystem. It generates orienteering for the AI ethics kickoff without requiring a deep background in philosophy and considers perspectives of social impact outside the software and data engineering setting. Depending on the legal regulation or area of application, the TAII process can be adapted and used with different regulations and ethical principles.

Algorithmic Diversity: Zero Exclusion, AI & Ethics

Presented By: Yonah Welker, Explorer and Board Member, Yonah Fund

During the session, we will dive into the meaning and application of algorithmic diversity in technology (including such cases as neurodiversity). Using the latest experiences, cases and research, we will analyze the current state and problems of inclusive innovation and technology, including the problems of representation and criteria, inclusive research and design-thinking, the building of inclusive products (AI-driven platforms, devices, apps, social and emotional robotics), ethical considerations and concerns (the “black-box” and “double-check” problems, transparency, explainability, fairness, surveillance), shortcomings of current technology ecosystems, policies and human rights frameworks.

Notions:
——————-
● Neuro Representation in data science and AI teams
● Inclusive and neurodiverse solutions in hiring, learning, wellbeing and creative fields
● Collaborative AI, Data & NLP for open-source neuro solutions
● Ethics, policies and human rights

Humane AI

Play

A research program to foster bottom-up collaboration between computer science, the social sciences and the humanities

Triggered by the speed at which applications of artificial intelligence (AI) are emerging and changing the very way in which society organizes itself, we see an important role for research to help lay the foundations for responsible, trustworthy and value-driven AI. The Research Priority Area Human(e) AI at the University of Amsterdam synthesises ongoing work and stimulates new research at the UvA on the societal consequences of the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision-making (ADM) in a wide variety of societal areas. These include news aggregation, cultural heritage, surveillance, and automated justice and cover fundamental research questions in history, sociology, law, ethics, communication, economics, medicine and psychology.

The goal of this research program is to enable Humane AI: AI and digital technologies contributing to new forms of knowledge production, understanding new forms of agency and intersubjectivity, enhancing cultural and socio-economic equality, improving fairness and respect for fundamental rights in decision-making both in the public and commercial sector, and realizing opportunities for digital citizenship. Humane AI is organised along three main pillars: creating a hub for scientific knowledge production and discussion within the University of Amsterdam and beyond; engaging in truly interdisciplinary research research on the automation of core societal processes and the consequences for individuals, culture and society, and cooperate and share knowledge with societal actors and policymakers to translate academic insights into creating the conditions for truly Humane AI.

What Does Resilience-Building Actually Look Like? A Study Mapping the Public Policy Challenges and Socio-Political Implications of the Development of Artificial Intelligence for Security and Defense in Continental Europe.

Presented By: Kulani Abendroth-Dias, PhD candidate Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva Switzerland

Digital technologies have proliferated rapidly over the past two decades, from the spread of mobile broadband networks, to the use of cryptocurrencies, to the use and abuse of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for security and defense (Spiegeleire, Maas, & Sweijs, 2017). AI now has vast implications not only in defense but for economic and social fairness. Uses and misuses of AI and ML-driven technologies have been made clear during the Covid-19 pandemic, with their use in contact tracing and abuse in the spread of misinformation to sow civic unrest and erode public trust in government institutions. The need to build both military and civilian resilience to AI- and ML-driven malignant attacks has become painfully evident. This paper presents a study in which 21 European stakeholders comprising policymakers, academics, and industry and non-profit actors were interviewed on ways to build resilience to cyberattacks in military and civilian domains across the EU. Policy recommendations operationalizing resilience and civic trust-building are presented based on a content coding of the role of counter-AI agencies, practical approaches to mitigating risk, addressing bias in datasets, and current policy and industry priorities in the economics of the development of AI- and ML-driven technologies. The role of the private sector and the asymmetric development and implementation of AI- and ML-driven technologies are discussed.

Z-Inspection®: A Process to Assess Trustworthy AI

Presented By: Roberto V. Zicari

The ethical and societal implications of artificial intelligence systems raise concerns. In this paper we outline a novel process based on applied ethics, namely Z-inspection®, to assess if an AI system is trustworthy. We use the definition of trustworthy AI given by the high-level European Commission’s expert group on AI. Z-inspection® is a general inspection process that can be applied to a variety of domains where AI systems are used, such as business, healthcare, public sector, among many others. To the best of our knowledge, Z-inspection® is the first process to assess trustworthy AI in practice.

Resources

OECD

Slides presented by Karine Perset from the OECD during Session 1:
Trust, Excellence, and the Governance of AI

Read here

AI for Europe

Published by BSA | The Software Alliance, outlining their three recommendations to foster innovation, create opportunities, and enhance growth in Europe through responsible AI.

Read here

Sponsorship Opportunities

To discuss sponsorship and visibility opportunities at the 3rd Annual Artificial Intelligence Conference please contact David Kirby on ai-euconference@forum-europe.com / +44 (0) 2920 783 077

DOWNLOAD SPONSORSHIP BROCHURE

Exclusive speaking positions | Your organisation can contribute to the discussion on the ‘main stage’
Engaging and Interactive format | Engage in a fully immersive and interactive debate with decision makers, businesses and policymakers
European and global outreach | Convey your message to a broad and international audience
Networking opportunities | The event will feature virtual networking for all interested participants. Private meeting rooms can also be booked.
Visibility Opportunities | Ensure maximum visibility through branding on the event website and marketing activities
Exhibition and demos area | Showcase your products and solutions or share a position paper with the audience via a digital exhibition booth in the expo area
Showcase Sessions | Feature your products and solutions on the conference programme by hosting a live session available to all conference attendees

Exclusive speaking positions | Your organisation can contribute to the discussion on the ‘main stage’

Engaging and Interactive format | Engage in a fully immersive and interactive debate with decision makers, businesses and policymakers

European and global outreach | Convey your message to a broad and international audience

Networking opportunities | The event will feature virtual networking for all interested participants. Private meeting rooms can also be booked.

Visibility Opportunities | Ensure maximum visibility through branding on the event website and marketing activities

Exhibition and demos area | Showcase your products and solutions or share a position paper with the audience via a digital exhibition booth in the expo area

Showcase Sessions | Feature your products and solutions on the conference programme by hosting a live session available to all conference attendees

Sponsors & Partners

BSA | The Software Alliance

Microsoft

Sponsor

Media Partner

Encompass is an online magazine delivering comment, opinion and analysis on the affairs of the European Union and Europe’s place in the world. We aim to demystify the complexity of the EU and to be lively and provocative. Encompass is also a space with podcast interviews and, through Encompass Live, political and cultural events. As our name indicates we will strive to be open and accessible.