FARI - AI for the Common Good Institute

🌿🤖 The Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies (BrIAS) wrapped up its 2024 "Sustainable Robotics" seminar series, which explored how robotics can foster a sustainable future by advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. With FARI's support, BrIAS hosted 4 forums on agriculture, sustainable robotic tech, human-robot collaboration, and warfare. This seminar season has been the opportunity for Shirley Elprama and Michel Joop van der Schoor, two researchers at FARI, to discuss the findings of their research. The program was expertly led by directors Prof. Emanuele Garone and Prof. Bram Vanderborght, with co-directors Prof. An Jacobs and Carl-Maria MÖRCH. The contributions of junior fellows, including Dr. Shirley Elprama, Dr. Michel Joop van der Schoor, Dr. Andres Cotorruelo, Dr. Fatma Demir, and Dr. Luca Rossini , alongside the organization by Dr. Anja Garone, were invaluable. 💡 We are proud to highlight the importance of sustainability in robotics and look forward to the next season! 👉 Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/eYZnK-E6

Last Saturday, FARI had the pleasure of hosting the KU Leuven Summer School on AI 🚀 This marked the fourth consecutive year that the summer school participants visited the AI Experience Centre. The program featured instructors from VUB, including Gloria González Fuster, Andres Algaba, and Rosamunde van Brakel. FARI director Hans De Canck welcomed a vibrant group of over 40 students, and the morning commenced with a compelling lecture by Andres Algeba on Fairness in Machine Learning. Students then had the opportunity to tour the FARI Test and Experience Center and witness demonstrations of a smart energy grid, visual question-answering using image interpretation techniques, and innovations in exoskeletons and smart prosthetics. Our team was proud to represent both FARI and VUB, with contributions from Leander Schietgat (VUB AI Lab), Marieke Van Camp (FARI Test and Experience Center Manager), and Andres Algaba (VUB Data Analytics Lab). We are delighted to see our collaboration grow stronger each year. 🌱 Vrije Universiteit Brussel - KU Leuven - #AI #MachineLearning #VUB #FARI #Innovation #Education #Research #TechForGood

Celebrating AI Happy Hours! 🌟 Earlier this year, we launched our AI Happy Hours to democratize AI knowledge and foster meaningful community engagement. We are thrilled to have welcomed over 200 participants from diverse fields to engage in discussions and explore the important work of our researchers. We are incredibly proud of the brilliant researchers from Université libre de Bruxelles and Vrije Universiteit Brussel who have contributed to our mission of demystifying AI. Their expertise has enriched our conversations and deepened our understanding of AI's multifaceted impact. We extend our gratitude to Arjen Van de Walle, Anastasia Karagianni, Jan Tobias Muehlberg, Lluc Bono, Julien Baudru, and Shirley Elprama for their inspiring contributions, which have enriched our understanding of AI’s impact across a variety of sectors. 👏 A special thank you to SustAIn.brussels for their collaboration and support in making these events possible. We're excited to announce our last three sessions of the year, coming up in autumn: Monday, September 30: Valentina Dalla Giovanna, Researcher in Medical Data and AI Law (ULB) Monday, October 28: Ann Dooms, Professor and Research Group Leader in Digital Mathematics (VUB) Monday, November 25: Patrick A. Van der Spiegel, Researcher in AI and Cybersecurity at FARI and AI Lab (VUB) To learn more about the AI Happy Hour sessions, read the full article here: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dGu5iSrQ Karen Boers - Laura Jousset - Diana R. - Alice Demaret, M. Sc. - Laurence de Kerchove d'Exaerde - Raphaël Slachmuylders - Ludwig De Locht - Université libre de Bruxelles - Vrije Universiteit Brussel - AI4Belgium - #AI #CommunityEngagement #Innovation #AIHappyHours #SustainableDevelopment #EthicalAI #InclusionInTech

Look no further! 🔎 If you are a DPO looking to strengthen your knowledge about artificial intelligence, join us this August for our #AI Training for Data Protection Officers, in partnership with the Data Protection Institute. Courses are available in both French and Dutch! Register here 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eAEm_2Gp Data Protection Institute - Peter Berghmans - Leila Rebbouh - Axel Beelen #DPO #GDPR #AILaw #dataprivacyEU

We are thrilled to announce our first keynote speaker for the FARI Conference 2024 on November 18! 🎉 Prof. Yoshua Bengio, a leading authority in computer science and artificial intelligence from the Université de Montréal, will be joining us. Known as one of the godfathers of deep learning, Bengio received the prestigious A.M. Turing Award in 2018 and was recently named the third most cited researcher in the world by Stanford University. At the #conference, Prof. Bengio will share his insights on the international governance of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). We invite you to join this comprehensive event, where top experts from around the globe will discuss and engage with the audience on the latest advancements in artificial intelligence. Don’t miss this opportunity to network and learn from the leading voices in #AI! 👉 Find out more and register for #FARI2024 here: https://lnkd.in/eF52RJNB Karen Boers - Hans De Canck - Carl-Maria MÖRCH - Laura Jousset - Julien Gossé - Sezen Avci - Kenneth Hannaert - Odette de Fays - Laurence Renault - Université libre de Bruxelles - Vrije Universiteit Brussel

🌟 Event Recap! 🌟   Yesterday, Microsoft Brussels was host to an insightful event titled “Deepfakes and Democracy: How to Protect Elections from Manipulation”  attended by Martin Canter, FARI AI and Data Expert.   Key Takeaways: With the rapid advancement of GenAI technology, deepfake audio and videos are increasingly used to interfere with democratic elections. This threat has already impacted many countries in Europe and beyond, making it a global issue that demands immediate action.   Highlights from the Discussion: - Emerging Threats: Beyond election manipulation, the rise of deepnudes and online scams was discussed as a pressing concern. - Misleading Information: Panelists highlighted the trend of using real information out of context to spread false conclusions and messages. - Fact-Checking Tools: Resources like VRT’s "NWS Check" and TinEye for reverse image searches were recommended for verifying information. - Collaboration is Key: The fight against disinformation requires a collective effort. There is no single solution, and partnership across sectors is crucial. The collaboration and insights shared underscore the urgent need for proactive measures to protect our democratic processes from the misuse of advanced technologies. 🗳️🤝   Among the panelists were Annelies Verlinden, Minister of the Interior, Institutional Reform, and Democratic Renewal; Luc van Bakel, Editor-in-chief, VRT NWS Check Editorial Team; Yves Stevens, Spokesperson, National Crisis Center; Benjamin Baelus, Director Government Affairs Belgium & Luxembourg, Microsoft; Beaudine V., Strategic Communications Officer, Public Diplomacy Division, NATO; and Katarina Wallin Bureau, Senior Director Strategic Relations, European Government Affairs, Microsoft.   #Deepfakes #GenAI #Disinformation #FactChecking #Collaboration

We are looking for 3D designers, artists, researchers, and partners to leverage our CAVE infrastructure at FARI - AI for the Common Good Institute (soon to be complemented with floor projections and tracking gear). Enhance your projects with immersive visualization, prototyping, and training in this advanced virtual environment. Contact me or Susheel Nath for more info Or you can submit your idea for the CAVE here https://lnkd.in/eUeTwajZ

Does #ChatGPT inhibit our ability to learn? 💡 ULB professor Hugues Bersini’s new article in Le Soir discusses the threats that programs like ChatGPT pose to education systems, programming practices, and even users’ ability to learn through trial and error. Bersini addresses that it is often the case that young learners domesticate new technologies faster than their teachers, who have not yet reached consensus on how or if generative AI programs can be used by students. We are currently witnessing a critical moment for education, where many longstanding practices will be impacted by rapidly expanding technology. Reliance on programs like ChatGPT greatly impact the learning process, as the convenience of software allows students to abandon the necessity of reaching solutions through trial and error. Bersini discusses how the procedure of learning how to program is at risk of being reduced to “prompt engineering,” which puts the autonomy of programmers behind computers’ functioning. Making mistakes is part of being human; contradictions and unpredictability are part of our experience in the world. The trial and error that have made programs like ChatGPT so useful and intuitive are at stake if we accept technologies as a replacement for human intelligence. Bersini ends the article with a question: “Will we accept to live and endure the endless increase of ChatGPT's IQ at the expense of our own?” What do you think? Feel free to share your response in the comments.👇 The full article can be read here: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/d5nXKR7n Carl-Maria MÖRCH - Sezen Avci - Université libre de Bruxelles

Highlights from today’s discussion on “The Fitire of AI and Data in Europe”, organised by Re-Imagine Europa : - Roberto Viola stressing the need for a common good perspective and confident that we can boost innovation while keeping focus on human-centric AI - Enrico Letta advocating for innovation & knowledge as the 5th freedom - Luca De Biase leading discussions on narratives on AI, where we need to put purpose front and center, be mindful of our digital sovereignity, consider distributed & inclusive governance model and safeguard trustworthy AI - Anthony Gooch Gálvez leading the debate on EU Digital Policies with the Digital Single Market now a necessity rather than a luxury, the need for (shared) infrastructure and access to high quality data and the importance of collective as well as individual data highlighted - Bernd Halling’s session on AI and Data for the Public Interest calling for a long-term perspective, coordination ans sustained support for the many field initiatives that are fighting their corners, the importance to involve all stakeholders in the conversation It was a pleasure representing FARI - AI for the Common Good Institute and build more bridges for collaboration across Europe on #AIfortheCommonGood !

Curious to learn about #SmartCities? Join the Data & the City webinar this Thursday! 🏙️ We are excited to announce the guest speakers for the final session of the Data & the City cycle, focusing on #transparency in Smart Cities. This free online event will feature experts who are leading innovative projects in #AI, #dataprivacy, and civic technology. Meet the Speakers: ➡️ Michiel Vaes Researcher at imec-SMIT, VUB, and a member of the Knowledge Center Data & Society (KCDS), Michiel is involved in projects related to smart cities, data privacy, AI, citizen science, and public outreach. He will discuss initiatives by the imec-SMIT, Vrije Universiteit Brussel research lab to develop transparency devices and include insights from their comprehensive research. ➡️ Jonathan Pichot Technologist and urbanist leading product development at Helpful Places and European business development, Jonathan has over ten years of experience in civic tech, including founding a Code for America Brigade in Michigan and working with urban planners in NYC. He will talk about the DTPR protocol, a transparency tool that enables citizens to access information on data collection in public spaces via QR codes. ➡️ Maëlle Fouquenet Specialist in digital issues and data analysis, Maëlle supports public institutions in promoting transparency and open data. She has expertise in gender and data issues, as well as algorithmic transparency. Maëlle will present a project by Datactivist on building a FAQ for the French public tool "Mon Diagnostic Artificialisation," highlighting the role of mediation with users. Event Details: 📅 Date: June 27, 2024 🕛 Time: 12:00 - 14:00 📍 Location: Online Don't miss this opportunity to learn from top experts in the field and discover how transparency initiatives are shaping the future of Smart Cities. 👉 Register now to secure your spot: https://lnkd.in/dMWPxiWc #SmartCities #AI #Transparency #Innovation #DataPrivacy #CivicTech #CitizenEngagement #TechForGood - Lea Rogliano - Brussels Academy asbl/ vzw - Marion Berzin - Helpful Places - Datactivist - Nathaniël De Leeuw - Yanne Frison