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Published on 2024-10-12
The tenth edition of the AI & Big Data Congress showcased the potential of generative artificial intelligence across various sectors and applications, in a session that also emphasized sustainability and the impact of its legal regulation in Europe from the perspective of companies, entities, and individuals who use it, as well as from an ethical standpoint.
"The evolution of data science and artificial intelligence has been spectacular in recent years. In 2015, we were in the 'hype' of Big Data, a technology that has matured over time and is increasingly transversal and adopted in business strategy," said Joan Mas, director of Cidai and scientific director of Eurecat's Digital Area.
In parallel, "during this last decade, we have seen the growth of machine learning and analytical AI, and we have seen how deep learning-based applications have facilitated spectacular advances in areas such as medical diagnosis support, computer vision, or speech technologies," Joan Mas added, emphasizing that "since 2022, generative AI has been at the center of expectations."
In its tenth-anniversary edition, the AI & Big Data Congress, taking place today and tomorrow at the L'Illa Auditorium with over 1,600 registered participants, brings together more than thirty AI experts to discuss the cross-sectoral impact of this technology and the challenges in its application.
"Catalonia is positioning itself as a reference in Spain and Europe in the development of artificial intelligence. In this sense, the Catalonia.AI strategy, which we have promoted from the Government in collaboration with various ecosystem agents, has greatly contributed to this. That's why we reaffirm this commitment: to continue advancing through the push of the research-industry-public policy trio," said Maria Galindo, Secretary of Digital Policies of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Daniel Altimiras, president of Eurecat, highlighted that "the development of methodologies that bring generative artificial intelligence closer to actors such as SMEs, which seemed out of the game, is remarkable," and reaffirmed that Eurecat "is an ally available to the ecosystem for the proper development of AI-based solutions."
Rika Nakazawa, recently recognized as one of the 50 most influential women in the United States by Forbes' '50 over 50' list and currently the global head of Business Innovation at NTT DATA, pointed out that one of the main keys to AI sustainability is "leveraging AI to help organizations achieve their specific sustainability goals, whether in solution deployment or operational metrics of productivity, safety, and efficiency."
According to Rika Nakazawa, "thanks to the integration of cutting-edge innovations in data centers, fully photonic networks, and space-based solutions, we can reconcile energy concerns around the growth of artificial intelligence applications."
She also argued that "strategic alliances between industries, while bringing together stakeholders in policy, technology, and industry, ensure that our advances contribute to the imperatives where sustainability and smart technologies converge."
Ana Freire, Vice Dean of Social Impact and Academic Innovation at UPF Barcelona School of Management, shared innovative initiatives and strategies to prepare workers in industry, education, and academia for the accelerated changes brought by artificial intelligence, as it is estimated that approximately 40% of global jobs will be significantly affected by these technologies.
In relation to this challenge, Ana Freire considered that "collaboration between industry and academia is the best strategy to embrace this technological disruption," where workers "must be trained to acquire new skills or enhance existing ones, particularly in areas related to AI, such as data analysis, programming, and technology management."
To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the AI & Big Data Congress, the scientific career of Ramón López de Mántaras, emeritus professor of the CSIC at the Institute of Artificial Intelligence Research (IIIA), which he founded and directed, was recognized. A pioneer in artificial intelligence in Catalonia, Spain, and Europe, he highlighted the necessary role of regulation and education to responsibly harness the potential of AI in the face of challenges related to privacy, algorithmic bias, and inequality arising from its application.
According to him, "the more sophisticated AI systems become, the more responsibilities we should demand from their designers and programmers to ensure that they comply with strict legal and ethical principles. Artificial intelligences do not have, and never will have, their own intentions or objectives; their development involves people at all stages, from algorithm conception and design to implementation, training, and deployment. We are the moral agents, not the machines. If something goes wrong, the algorithm is not to blame, we are."
Additionally, on the tenth anniversary of the congress, awards were given to several Catalan companies and institutions that have stood out in their use of AI over the past ten years. During this period, the AI & Big Data Congress has brought together over 7,000 participants, programmed nearly 400 presentations, and brought top-level speakers to Barcelona.
Second Day
The second day of the AI & Big Data Congress will give voice to companies with innovative projects and initiatives exploring the main technological trends of artificial intelligence in sectors such as publishing and culture, the pharmaceutical industry, logistics, or environmental control, and advances in AI explainability techniques will be presented.
In addition, new opportunities in the application of quantum AI for solving complex problems and developing more efficient machine learning will be anticipated.
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