The TAIGA inauguration conference

TechLabs visited Umeå University's TAIGA – Centre for Transdisciplinary AI, on its grand opening event, the inauguration conference. With a focus on artificial intelligence, and with the motto "AI for good", we couldn't ignore the clear connection to our own research on Trustworthy AI. At the opening ceremony we met the familiar Pepper bot and listened in with great interest as hosts Frank and Virgina Digum proclaimed that AI is not a system but can be more accurately described as "the study of human intelligence and how computers might emulate it".

During the conference we took part in several interesting discussions with presenters and researchers from all over the world. We talked about AI during the following days with topics ranging from human biases affecting AI to automation in everyday life. Did you know it is estimated 80% of your day is routine? Are we just lazy or is AI simply better at putting in the work? We talked about how humans need to be more involved in the development and control of AI - we need to stay in control of the loop, not be controlled in the loop as Paul Lukowicz stated during his keynote.

These are heavy and relevant topics for the modern world, but the inauguration from looking at the future. Remember when we all said phones are for making phone calls and resisted the ever-increasing use of emails and direct text messages? Today AI is creeping into all of our daily lives, whether we are talking AI-powered search engines or photos enhanced by AI. We don’t know quite how or when but AI as a tool will eventually be used to increase and enhance our capabilities. Just as you can dig faster with a shovel than simply with your hands so will AI allow us to work faster and better. Our hopes are that AI will also help level the playing field, allowing more people to perform more specialized and complex tasks, tasks that only a select few could master without the help of AI.

Sadly the long journey back to Helsinki prevented us from experiencing the last day of TAIGA’s inauguration but even so we would all do it again for the experience. A big thanks to you Umeå University, hope to see you again soon!