At the event promoted by ADRA (AI, Data and Robotics Association) – with INESC TEC as a member – the participants discussed Europe’s role as a leader in the development of reliable, safe and robust AI, Data and Robotics solutions. How can Europe become a global leader and leverage these technological solutions? What’s the impact of said technologies on scientific research? These were some of the issues discussed at the event, featuring INESC TEC; the Institute presented AI use cases and sustainable energy systems.
Over the course of two days, ADRA challenged industry, research and academia representatives and policymakers to discuss and identify opportunities for Europe to position itself as a world leader in AI, Data and Robotics. Sharing visions and use cases on recent developments and perspectives; promoting the synergy between different communities to leverage technological development; discussing potential threats that said technologies can bring to society – these were some of the topics under discussion during the event.
INESC TEC participated in two sessions on the use of these technologies in scientific research and how they can contribute to scientific advances. One of them, entitled “Harnessing AI, Data, and Robotics for Scientific Advancement – Thematic Applications of AI”, even presented AI use cases for sustainable energy systems, stemming from the institution’s research and demonstration activities.
“We presented the renewable production forecast as a product that resorts to AI, with a high maturity in the market. Other examples included situations where we can use AI to predict the risk of energy shortages (and the communication of this information to citizens) or to build behavioural models of the reaction of electric vehicle drivers to discounts or dynamic tariffs,” explained Ricardo Bessa.
According to the INESC TEC researcher, the institution also shared a future approach related to using fundamental AI models to support the operation of the power grid and the important role of the common data space and data market. “The discussion in the session focused on the role of the common data space to accelerate the adoption of AI and the degree of maturity of the technology,” he concluded.
The session “Harnessing AI, Data, and Robotics for Scientific Advancement”, which featured Ricardo Miguéis, head of INESC Brussels Hub (HUB), discussed the transformative impact of AI on scientific and innovation practices. “We presented the conclusions of the INESC Brussels HUB Summer School: Leadership in R&I in the Age of AI, organised in partnership with the European Commission and the Polish representatives for science and innovation to the EU (NCBR) – namely the need to balance institutional strategies with ethics and sustainability, and to foster collaboration between the public and private sectors.”
According to Ricardo Miguéis, the importance of having a robust infrastructure for data governance and the creation of test and experimentation facilities (TEFs) to validate AI technologies in controlled environments was also explored. “AI’s impact on science goes beyond technical efficiency. It is an opportunity to redefine how we can integrate innovation and ethical values into scientific advancement,” he concluded.
Human-centric AI to improve collaboration, trust, and acceptance
In addition to participating in these sessions, INESC TEC also organised workshop within the scope of the European project AI4REALNET. The session “From Algorithms to Assurance: Designing Human-Centric AI to enhance Collaboration, Trust, and Acceptance”, moderated by researcher Sara Neves from INESC TEC, explored the multidisciplinary nature of the AI4REALNET approach, focusing on how the project prioritises the operation of critical infrastructures and the role of AI to support human operators in increasingly complex scenarios. “This is an important feature of the project”, reinforced Ricardo Bessa, coordinator of AI4REALNET.
The workshop promoted the discussion around the importance of creating people-centred AI solutions for decision making and problem solving, human-IA interaction, and the design of human-centric AI systems in different sectors, as well as the development of skills to improve collaboration, trust, and acceptance of this technology. “In the case of collaboration between people and AI, one of the main conclusions of this session was the importance of having a purpose, that is, not letting the focus on the technical component lead to the loss of purpose, because effective collaboration requires a constant relationship. In addition, we also focused on the difference between trust and trustworthiness”, said Sara Neves, researcher at INESC TEC.
The European AI, Data and Robotics Forum is organised annually by ADRA in collaboration with the European Commission. This year’s edition took place in November, and the sessions are available here.
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