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Responsible AI in light of the EU AI Act

AI Monday, Feb 13, 2023
Feb 13, 2023 @ 5:00 PM

💡 Responsible AI in light of the EU AI Act. How should companies respond to the EU law on artificial intelligence?Hear from experts in the field as they share their insights and strategies for compliance and ethical considerations. Don't miss this valuable opportunity to stay informed and stay ahead of the curve on one of the most pressing issues of our time.

On 13th Feb 2023, AI Monday held their first event since DAIN Studios began overseeing the event series, at Porthania in the University of Helsinki.

There were 333 total participants, with 253 online viewers and 80 physical attendees. Thought-leaders and AI experts were gathered together to discuss the EU AI act and what it means for businesses, individuals, and the future of technology.

Here is the rundown of the event:

Nina Hagman, Senior Data Strategist at DAIN Studios:

 

Patrick Qvick, Principal Data and AI Strategist at DAIN Studios:

  • Ran through an introduction to the EU AI Act, answering questions such as:
    • Why did the AI Act come into being?
    • What does the legislation enforce?
    • How will it be enforced?
    • When will it come into effect?
  • Download Patrick’s slides here.

 

Meeri Haataja, CEO at Saidot:

  • Spoke about the fact that there is no need to panic and reassured businesses that, when considering the legislation in the wider context of the history of responsible AI, it was important not to catastophise the consequences of the act.
  • She stated that the legislation is an extension of ‘normal engineering good practice’ and that such requirements are reasonable for high-risk systems such as those which use AI. 
  • Download Meeri’s slides here.

 

Juha Vesanto, Tribe Lead at OP Financial Group:

  • Spoke about the benefits of ‘starting early’ when it comes to responsible AI and gave a behind-the-scenes look at the data and AI world of the OP Financial Group.
  • His presentation included a timeline which showed how his organisation has been thinking about AI since 2017.
  • Juha showcased OP’s AI transparency framework. It included eight assessment categories which were: AI Application, Algorithms, Data, Risk and Impact, Responsibility and Ownership, Transparency, Explainability and Contestability, Use and Development Practices, and Compliance. 
  • It also included four viewpoints which were: Customer, Internal Specialist, External Specialist, and Auditor.
  • Juha explained how at OP, each of the different categories are tested with a list of questions from the four viewpoints. Taken as a whole, this approach allows OP to make an overall assessment of the responsibility level provided by the firm.
  • Download Juha’s slides here.

 

Pasi Rautio, Service Manager for the City of Helsinki:

  • Spoke about how he provides data and AI solutions to a complex web of 535 services across a team of 40,000 people.
  • He mentioned that the EU should have involved the public sector in its consultation process more and outlined how the City of Helsinki is taking preparatory steps even before the AI Act comes into practice.
  • So far, they have formulated data and AI ethical principles, overseen a data and AI ethical board, written AI procurement standards, and created an AI register.
  • Download Pasi’s slides here.

 

Timo Tirkkonen, Partner at Inventure:

  • Spoke about responsible AI from the standpoint of an investor.
  • He said that ‘clever people will turn the AI Act to their advantage and to a USP.’
  • Despite the opportunities, he also voiced some concerns about the impact on competitiveness, asking the question of whether some firms might consider leaving the EU in search of lighter-touch regulation.
  • In addition, Timo was critical of the definition of AI in the act which he called ‘vague.’ He said that the interpretation ‘has the potential to include companies whose core tech was not considered AI but only ML.’
  • Download Timo’s slides here.

 

All in all, one of the key takeaways was that progress happens faster when we work together. This gathering was a good example of how AI Monday creates intimate alliances between businesses and the tech sector. During the evening, we shared knowledge and encouraged people to learn more about responsible AI in a forward-thinking, open-minded environment.

We are looking forward to the next event.

You can watch the recorded event below.

Play Video

The talks

05:00 PM
Niina Hagman
AI Monday is Back!
05:10 PM
Patrick Qvick
Introduction to the EU AI Act
05:40 PM
Meeri Haataja
Debunking the Myths: Can the AI Act and Innovation Thrive Together?
05:55 PM
Pasi Rautio
Proactive Services. What this has to do with AI. How does it relate to EU AI law?
06:10 PM
Timo Tirkkonen
How start-ups are adapting to EU AI ethics act
06:10 PM
Juha Vesanto
Already there: OP's first AI transparency report

The speakers

Senior Data Strategist
DAIN Studios
Principal Data & AI Strategist
DAIN Studios
Principal Data Scientist
OP Financial Group
Partner, Co-founder
Inventure
Team Lead AI
City of Helsinki
CEO
Saidot

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