After two editions in Mexico City (in 2019) and online (in 2021), the "Artificial Intelligence for Industry, Science and Society" symposium will take place this year at Campus Biotech. Created by a group of physics researchers and a representative of the OECD and the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), the event aims to facilitate reflection, communication and knowledge transfer on artificial intelligence.

At the end of 2022, the main organizers, including Steven Schramm, professor in the Department of Nuclear and Particle Physics (Faculty of Science), were busy finalizing the conference program, when ChatGPT burst onto the scene. This timely evolution drew attention to the need to promote the use of artificial intelligence for the common good. "ChatGPT is a perfect example of a development carried out by industry on the basis of knowledge derived from scientific research, with profound implications for society", Steven Schramm points out.

How do you concretely link science, industry and society?
Steven Schramm: We are fortunate to have forged links with people working in all three sectors. Our aim is to get them sitting round the same table, exchanging experiences and ideas. We also aim to include representatives from countries which, until now, have not necessarily played a leading role in the development of AI, which is why we held our first edition at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). This year, we are welcoming many experts on generative AI, which forms the basis of ChatGPT, including Juha Heikkilä: a specialist in AI-related issues at the European Commission. We thought this would be relevant, given that the European Union  has just passed the first piece of  AI legislation of its type in the world (Artificial Intelligence Act).

What is it?
A proposal to regulate the use of AI within the Union, notably on the basis of ethical criteria and respect for human rights. This is a strong first step, but there are parts of the community which believe that this only addresses part of the problem. Right now, only industry is able to pursue and finance developments at the scale of ChatGPT, as the required computing resources have become a significant limitation. Existing European research grants are not able to keep up, limiting the ability of researchers to study and test these disruptive technologies. There have therefore been suggestions that we need the equivalent of a CERN for artificial intelligence, as well as a global entity along the lines of the International Atomic Energy Agency to oversee the usage of AI: something that the recent G7 Hiroshima AI process has also hinted at.

Where does your interest in artificial intelligence come from?
 I work with CERN, as a particle physicist, where we generate immense amounts of complex data. We have been using machine learning for more than twenty years as a key technology in our quest to understand the fundamental forces of nature. CERN has created the web, launched grid computing, and more: we deploy these technologies because we need them. What else can we do with them? We  see all kinds of things being developed in science, and it is hard to predict the impact they will have on society. That's why we need to have constant discussions with people from different backgrounds, as we do with our event, so that we can move forward with our eyes wide open.