The EU Focus Group on AI is launched

Together with the European Commission, European DIGITAL SME Alliance has launched a Focus Group consisting of nearly 40 AI specialists working in and for SMEs.

Kantify has been selected to be a member of this group of European AI experts who will give input into the EU policy on Artificial Intelligence.

The group was set up under the European Commission's initiative AI Watch, which monitors the development, uptake, and impact of AI in the EU. The participants are hailing from more than 10 different EU countries and represent AI solutions in a wide variety of sectors, ranging from e-health to fashion.

By meeting regularly over a period of 3 to 5 years, the SME Focus Group on AI will gain a better understanding of how SMEs adopt and use AI. The group will examine how the introduction of tools and processes linked to AI change the international business environment and its internal processes. Moreover, it will examine the social and economic impacts of these changes (e.g. on skills, recruitment, and employers-workers relations).

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), which coordinates AI Watch, aims to work with the SME Focus Group to understand the adoption, use, and impact of AI and related technologies (robotics, automation, machine learning, etc.). At the same time, the group will informally discuss more current topics; for instance, how AI can contribute to the fight against COVID-19.

We are eager to contribute to the work of the AI experts who will develop position- and policy papers on AI from the perspective of SMEs.

We are excited to continually engage with the members of the focus group to make sure that AI and innovative AI-based solutions, businesses, and services will thrive in the European economy.