08:45

  Registrations & Coffee

09:15

  Welcome

Magnus Berntsson, President AER
Jean Luc Vanraes, President AER Committee 1, Chair Working Group SMEs & Investments

09:30

  Opening: Inspiration

Nathanaël Ackerman, Founder & Managing Director @Hub France Intelligence Artificielle

10:00

  Sharing experiences: Who is afraid of the big bad #AI?

Parallel discussion groups

• Supporting innovation, attracting innovators

  How do you stimulate the emergence of valuable innovation in artificial intelligence? What are the areas where artificial intelligence would be best used? How should/ can regions attract innovators? How can start-ups and regional SMEs even have a chance to stand out on a market dominated by GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon)?
  Why should regions bother to step on AI train if others are already making giant steps? Is this of any use for regional job markets?
  This roundtable focuses on the tools to support AI innovation & the purpose of doing so

Contributors:
-Jean-Luc Vanraes, President AER Committee 1, Chair Working Group SMEs & Investments
-Marie-Josée Blais – Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Innovation Sector, Québec
-Pierre Cherelle, Spin-off Axiles Bionics of Brussels Human Robotics Research Centers
–Edwin Mermans, New Mobility Services initiative of the EIP-SCC Action Cluster Sustainable Urban Mobility
Moderator: Jonathan Duplicy, Innoviris, the Brussels Institute for Research and Innovation

• The health revolution

  Health is a sector witnessing major changes which not only disrupt how healthcare is delivered but also the whole organisation of healthcare. The role of patients becomes increasingly important in the era of the quantified self. Medical jobs are changing and hierarchy is re-organised. While artificial intelligence still seems science fiction to many, several applications are already on the market, often beating specialists in terms of diagnosis and treatment. Do we still need doctors? Is Big Brother watching our health data, and if so what are the risks? Will humanoid companions soon be gentler carers than humans? How are regions integrating artificial intelligence in their health and wellbeing policies? What can we expect in the coming years in terms of health innovation?

Contributors:
-Maria Merce Rovira Regas, Member of the Board, European Institute of Women’s Health
-Paul de Raeve, Secretary General European Federation of Nurses
-Robert Winroth, County Commissioner for Innovation, Västerbotten
-Luis Marco, Norwegian Centre for E-health Research and ITACA, Universitat Politècnica de València
-Iva Tasheva, Privacy and Security Policy Manager, Digital Europe
Moderator: Tanya Znamenski, Public Health Analyst at PatientsTalk

• Culture in the digital age

  While computer-generated art has been going for over 40 years it is getting new momentum with the increased capacities of modern processors and the artificial-intelligence hype. Artificial Intelligence creates paintings, poems, music and videos. It can even learn to analyse and evaluate art. Will AIs sweep the Oscars any time soon? If a work of art is created by something non-human, is it art? Is there any good in artificial intelligence for culture? Culture often represents a key element of regional development policies. Should policy makers anticipate the AI disruption in culture and if so, how?

Contributors:
-Katherine Heid, Acting Secretary General, Culture Action Europe
-Regional policy makers
-Artists collaborating with Gluon
Moderator: Christophe De Jaeger, Gluon

• Skills & competences: racing with machines

  By one popular estimate, 65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely new job types that don’t yet exist. How do we ensure we are not creating obsolete workers? What are the skills and competences with high added value in tomorrow’s AI-pervaded society? Are we racing with or against machines? Where should the focus be in terms of education? Is it possible to mitigate the effects of massive job-losses via life-long learning? If so how should regions support workers in building salutary skills and competences?

Contributors:
-Paulo Bresciani, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Trentino
-Sanna Parkkinen, County Councilor, North Karelia
-Leonardo Lorusso, Head of Education and Culture, Lombardy

Moderator: Ann Nowe VUB Artificial Intelligence lab

• AI: towards a soulless world?

  What is the future of humanity in a world where robots are better at empathy than humans? What is the future of work and the relationship between humans and machines? Will we need to have our brains hacked and evolve as transhumans to keep up to speed with robots? Are we cyborgs already? What about social justice in a world where the wealthy will be able to enhance their bodies and brains? What about geopolitical consequences linked to new technologies & warfare, as well as the correlated race for energy & natural resources?

Contributors:
-Nilofar Niazi, Founder & CEO TRAINM Neuro Rehabilitation Center
-Benoît Vidal, Co-founder at Dataveyes
-Eva Hallström, County Councillor, Värmland
Moderator: Diane Whitehouse, Principal eHealth Policy Analyst – EHTEL

 11:00

   Coffee Break

 11:45

   Let it grow!

Reports from the discussion groups: findings and proposals for action

 12:20

   Funding #AI innovation: opportunities for business

Cécile Huet, Deputy Head of Unit A2 Robotics and Artificial Intelligence of DG Connect

 13:00

   Working and Networking Lunch

 15:00

   #AI in practice: real people meet real innovation

Study Visit to VUB Artificial Intelligence lab

 16:30

   End of the event

18:00

   AER End of Year Reception & #AI Art exhibition

   (follow link for more information)