Forum Europe: 3rd Annual AI Conference

We joined Forum Europe's 3rd Annual Artificial Intelligence Conference, contributing on embodied and autonomous systems in the context of public infrastructure. Held on 25 March 2021, the conference drew over 700 delegates, including policymakers, industry leaders, and academics from across Europe and beyond, examining the EU's then-forthcoming AI legislative proposals ahead of their April 2021 release.

Related

• Contributions to AI Act discussions through the lens of public systems (OECD)‍ ‍

• OECD G7 Hiroshima Framework and reporting mechanism (OECD)‍ ‍

• General-Purpose AI Code of Practice (Working Groups 2 and 3)‍ ‍

Forum Europe and the EU's AI Governance Agenda

Across three sessions, the conference brought together speakers including Spanish Secretary of State for Digitalization and AI Carme Artigas, MEP Dragoş Tudorache in his role chairing the European Parliament's Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in the Digital Age (AIDA), and DG CONNECT's Kilian Gross and Yvo Volman, alongside Maria Rautavirta of Finland's Ministry of Transport and Communications. Discussions centered on how to govern AI "in an EU way" through the twin concepts of an ecosystem of trust and an ecosystem of excellence first introduced in the Commission's 2020 White Paper, the risk of regulatory fragmentation between emerging EU and member state rules, and the development of common standards around conformity assessment and high-risk AI applications. A dedicated session also addressed data and computing infrastructure for AI, examining the European Strategy for Data and its up to €6 billion commitment to a European single market for data, while the day's final session turned to AI's application in healthcare and disease prevention, informed by the pandemic-era context.

Alongside the main programme, the conference's AI Research Hub featured pre-recorded presentations from academics and innovators across Europe on applied AI ethics and trust. Our contribution, "Algorithmic Diversity: Zero Exclusion, AI & Ethics," examined the meaning and application of algorithmic diversity, including neurodiversity, across inclusive AI-driven platforms, devices, and social and emotional robotics, addressing representation, explainability, and the policy frameworks needed to support inclusive innovation in embodied and autonomous systems deployed within public infrastructure.

References

¹ Forum Europe. "AI 2021 – Delivering AI with Impact in Europe." Conference Agenda and Speaker List. March 25, 2021.

² Forum Europe. "Forum Europe's 3rd Artificial Intelligence Conference: One Month On." Forum Europe News. 2021.

³ AI-Mind Project. "Forum Europe AI 2021 – Delivering AI with Impact in Europe." Event Listing. 2021.