The (im) possibility of an island? ethical AI in a geopolitical world

The conference kicked off with a keynote by Pieter Verdegem, who shared a critical perspective on AI, based on the book he recently edited, called “AI for Everyone? Critical Perspectives”. 

After that, the first panel investigated the EU’s approach to ethical AI. Can it work in an international context that some call an ‘AI Cold War’? And will the EU’s and other countries’ plans to regulate AI be successful, or will they ‘kill innovation’ as is often heard? This panel punctured some myths. The panel featured among others Brando Benifei, the Co-Rapporteur on the AI Act for the European Parliament, as well as Helena Malikova, Member of the Chief Economist Team of the Directorate General for Competition of the European Commission.

The second panel looked beyond regulation. The field of AI is centralised, with a handful of global firms determining the shape of tech development. Is another approach possible? What would facilitate the emergence of an ecosystem of AI firms and NGOs that are aligned with the public interest? What type of industrial policy would this require? The panel featured – among others – Jesús Herrero Poza, the Head of Cabinet of the Spanish State Secretary for Digitalisation and AI, as well as Montse Guardia Güell, Co-founder and CEO of Big Onion Tech.