Artificial Intelligence in Europe - EIT Community project takes stock of achievements and plans

Federico Menna, Head of Staff & Operations at EIT Digital, analyzed the EU AI policy landscape highlighting the importance of cross sectoral collaboration for breaking the silos of knowledge that hinder the sustainability of AI. Also, he explained how the balance between a hard regulation for high risk AI applications and co-regulation, self-regulation, and market mechanisms based on a cost-benefit analysis will lift regulation barriers for innovators, organizations and SMEs to boost AI in Europe.

How to build an ecosystem of excellence and trust towards AI made in Europe as well as an overview of the EIT Community were the topics of Orestis Trasanidis, EIT AI Coordinator at EIT Digital. He spoke about ways in which AI is changing Europe and how the different knowledge and innovation communities of the European Institute of Innovation & Technology are set on supporting companies in making use of AI.

Tommaso Emiliani, EIT Strategic Synergies Cluster Manager at EIT Food, informed about this new cluster for 2022, which helps partners to identify collaboration and funding opportunities from the EIT community. Besides “Artificial Intelligence for Europe”, the three additional activities “New European Bauhaus”, “Circular Economy Collaboration” and “Women Entrepreneurship” are part of the cluster. They reflect the EU objectives of transformation, sustainability, and improvements for EU citizens.

Adrian Bablok, Project Manager at EIT Manufacturing, presented the AI Maturity Tool, which helps organisations to assess their readiness for the use of AI. Based on a questionnaire, the tool creates a graph, which displays their AI maturity in six dimensions and helps them to identify development targets. The free-of-charge self-assessment tool is available in seven languages.

Future steps with the AI Maturity Tool include analysing the results and intensifying the common understanding of AI readiness throughout Europe. This will be achieved, among other things, with workshops that can be booked by companies every size and by offering on-site ideation sessions that involve the right people from day one.

Dr. Inge de Waard, Senior Learning Strategist & Innovator at EIT InnoEnergy, presented the advantages of the AI Skills for Professionals tool, which helps to find, cluster and compare AI skills, and enhances AI-based mixing and matching of people and courses. As she explained “By uploading a CV, the tool can identify a person’s skills profile and suggests specific AI jobs they are best suited for. Furthermore, it suggests a list of courses that can help them acquire the skills needed for those particular jobs.”

Watch the recording of the webinar which was held 23 February 2022.