DIGITAL SME Focus Group on AI is an initiative of the European Commission (AI Watch) and the European DIGITAL SME Alliance, which set up an expert team consisting of almost 40 Artificial Intelligence experts representing companies from all over Europe.

From Greece, SciFY and our own George Giannakopoulos were also selected to contribute to this focus group. Specifically, the focus group’s goals are:

• Monitoring the development, adoption, and impact of AI by companies.
• Providing immediate feedback on their policies and regulatory needs.

A series of regular meetings are planned over a period of 3 to 5 years, where the focus group will gain a better understanding of how small and medium-sized businesses adopt and use AI. The team will examine how the introduction of tools and processes related to AI changes the international business environment and its internal processes. In addition, it will examine the social and economic implications of these changes (eg on skills, recruitment, and the relationships between employers and employees).

The European Commission’s Joint Research Center (JRC), which coordinates AI Watch, aims to work with the focus group to understand the adoption, use, and impact of Artificial Intelligence and related technologies (robotics, automation, mechanical learning, etc.). At the same time, the team will informally discuss more current issues, for example, how AI can help the fight against COVID-19. The European DIGITAL SME Alliance will work with Artificial Intelligence experts to develop position and policy documents about AI from a business perspective.

See here for more information on the DIGITAL SME Focus Group on AI and the other companies that participate.