The European AI Week will take place from Monday, March 14 to Friday, March 18 2022. The program includes inspiring talks, workshops, new insights from research, new publications and citizen debates. During this week, organized by AI4Belgium and its many partners across Europe, everyone –expert or not - will have the opportunity to discover the fascinating perspectives of artificial intelligence worldwide. Let’s shape a desirable future together!

After the success of the 2021 edition, the AI4Belgium ecosystem is back on track to share the achievements and the goals of the companies, citizens, institutions, working groups which work throughout the year to make a better world through AI.

Healthcare: Expectations of the citizens towards AI in the medical field are high. Citizens may benefit from improved and personalized medicine but also quicker and more accurate diagnosis. Relieving the healthcare staff from administrative or repetitive tasks so that they can dedicate more attention to the patients is also essential. In the field of Health and biotechs, Belgium is a valley of opportunities for research, investment and business.

Youth: for young people digital, fast and personalized services are normal. Is the world evolving fast enough to cope with this? What are their dreams of in a world that constantly evolve? (How) do we listen to them?

Skills and the future of jobs: what is the impact of AI on employment? What look like the “desirable future”? Which jobs for tomorrow? How will education evolve? A mapping of the existing trainings on AI in Belgium will also be presented.

Trust: and how can we ensure that AI applications are reliable? What is the role of artificial intelligence in our society?

Environment: as AI also needs energy (for instance electricity to store data), we will together see if AI can brings more benefits than damages to the environment, and what “frugal IA means”.

Strengthen collaborations: by bringing together the Belgian ecosystem, public and private sector actors, academia and civil society, the AI week aims to link different stakeholders from the north to the south of the country.

AI in public services: Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels will explain how they promote and support the use of IA in the Regions. Findings on the perceptions and drivers for adoption in AI in public services will also be discussed.

Start-up and enterprises: a map of Belgian startups and scaleups specializing in artificial intelligence will be unveiled as well as the state of adoption of AI in companies initiated by Flanders.

Beyond borders: the AI4EU platform, representatives of national and international AI hubs and networks will participate as well, strengthening the ecosystem, generating positive internal energy and opportunities for export or foreign investment. The state of art in Europe will also be presented and the adoption of the AI act. We will also fly to Japan and Canada to discover AI best practices.

Blockchain: AI enables the generation, exchange, recognition and processing of an unimaginable amount of data. What about securing the data and its movement between actors? By keeping a secure record of all exchanges via a huge "ledger" that is virtually held by thousands of people, the blockchain offers a level of security that makes data safe from damage, falsification and hackers: this definitely benefit to citizens, businesses and public services.

Media: AI can deeply influence, recognize, modify or falsify text, image and voices. What about the quality of information today? How immersive and augmented technologies are going to affect our lives? What about the value and the role of digital items such as NFT? Join the new AI4media launch and travel with us on an immersive journey.

#BreakTheBias: bias are a risk of AI. This edition will bring attention on gender equality AI and highlight women leaders in the AI ecosystem. A dedicated event will highlight women digital innovators and entrepreneurs harnessing AI for social impact, and discuss ways in which policymakers, business leaders, and entrepreneurs can work together to ensure a more inclusive AI ecosystem.