The International Center for Future Generations - ICFG

Job Alert! We're looking for a Comms & Public Affairs Officer - details below! 👇

This week, as part of the #16DaysofActivism, I got to join an inspiring discussion on gender-based violence and online abuse, with the amazing Maria R. Mollica, Katarina Wallin Bureau, and Maja Bobic, convened by European Movement International at Microsoft. Gender-based violence is a pernicious and growing issue, online and offline. The EU is taking great strides to address, prevent, and tackle it, but there is so much work for all of us to do. My thoughts on how we can make a difference: 🧠 Understanding Online Gender-Based Violence We don’t know enough about it—this hampers policy responses, and prevents us from addressing it at a societal level. We need: more interdisciplinary and intersectional research and data 🛠 Legal Frameworks: Progress and Gaps With the Council of Europe Istanbul Convention at hand, Digital Services Act at play, and a new EU directive tackling violence against women on the go... We must: focus on rights-based implementation and #enforcement 📚 Education as Prevention Gender stereotypes form the root causes of violence. Addressing these through targeted education programs can prevent future violence. We need: Education to emphasize gender equality and challenge regressive norms -- which requires strong EU-level collaboration and coordination ⚖ Support for Victims and Accountability for Aggressors The EU's robust legal framework can empower us to prevent and care for victims of gender-based violence online, and hold perpetrators to account. But beyond legal action, how can we as a (digital) society better support women in all their diversity, and hold aggressors accountable? We must: create and support innovative ideas, especially for tech companies to step up -- like creating online shelters for victims and imposing consequences for aggressors. Reducing gender-based violence online requires a societal shift in how we view equality, safety, and justice -- online and offline. Together, we can shape that change 🕊 #WomenOfEurope

Is advanced AI “hitting a wall”? We think there’s more to the story. Recent reports suggest that returns from scaling up pre-training—a key step in AI development—are plateauing. This has sparked speculation that the pace of AI progress is slowing—or even that the “AI bubble is bursting.” In our latest commentary, Daan Juijn adds nuance to this story and explores what we see as the emergence of a new paradigm in AI development—one that brings both challenges and opportunities for policymakers navigating this rapidly evolving landscape. https://lnkd.in/ezXXuTAq

Interested in following how the EU enforces its ambitious tech policy? This autumn has been a pivotal season for EU tech policy enforcement. From landmark rulings to new regulators, Europe’s enforcement ecosystem is evolving rapidly to tackle the challenges posed by tech in society. In our new series “Enforcement Spotlight”, Maria Koomen and M. Onur Cevik go beyond the headlines and explore: ✅ Lessons learned and best practices from recent enforcement actions ✅ Key developments shaping the enforcement of the GDPR, DSA, DMA, and AI Act ✅ The players, policies, procedures, and politics shaping how EU tech policy is put into practice 📖 Read it here: https://lnkd.in/ep-vKvYu ✉️ Newsletter sign up here (select “governance”): https://lnkd.in/etE7k8ah

“Safe AI” doesn’t exist just yet — and we don't have a clear path towards it. Rather, AI safety remains an unsolved scientific problem. And if it remains unsolved while AI capabilities continue to skyrocket, society will be increasingly exposed to widespread and systemic risks. Our new report highlights important shortcomings in the field of AI safety: 🔓 No defined safety standards: Unlike other high-stakes industries, AI lacks rigorous safety frameworks or metrics. 🔓 Insufficient safety techniques: Current measures fall short of providing strong assurances against harm. 🔓 Low investment in safety: Safety research is severely underfunded compared to capability development. We’re grateful for our external reviewers and distinguished guest author Roman Yampolskiy, and kudos to the ICFG team: David Janků, Max Reddel, and Jason Hausenloy!

🌊 The floods in Valencia and regions like Tarragona and Malaga are stark reminders that we already live with a more unstable climate. As climate impacts intensify, the risk of uncoordinated climate interventions—however well-intentioned—becomes real. Such actions could inadvertently spark tensions or conflicts, underscoring the need for a proactive and coordinated approach. The recent Niinistö report on Europe’s preparedness highlights the importance of a whole-of-society approach to security. But to be prepared for the climate disruption on the horizon, we need to go further: The EU must develop a comprehensive climate security strategy to navigate evolving climate-related threats. 🔗 ICFG climate security brief: https://lnkd.in/e89rPHFZ 🔗 Niinistö report: https://lnkd.in/dXjz4yqG

It’s time for the EU to take 🧠Neurotechnology seriously. Neurotechnology has the potential to transform brain health, mental wellbeing, and healthy aging for generations. The EU has a unique opportunity to lead in this emerging field—but only with a proactive and inclusive approach to governance. Virginia Mahieu outlines what a cohesive #NeurotechStratgegy should look like, to ensure neurotechnologies advance responsibly, addressing societal needs and protecting fundamental rights. Read more in our report “Towards Inclusive EU Governance of Neurotechnologies” (link in comments).

"Silicon Dreams, European Realities" Yesterday’s panel highlighted how the EU can shape industrial policy to build world-class AI industries here in Europe: 🤖 Unlocking AI’s Potential Across Sectors Dr. Christiane Höhn stressed that AI adoption is essential for Europe to stay globally competitive. With only 8% adoption in 2023, Europe must prioritize scaling AI across industries to avoid falling behind in sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, and robotics. 🤖 Trustworthy AI as Europe’s Unique Advantage Max Reddel pointed out that Europe can lead by focusing on trustworthy AI. Developing an ecosystem for reliable, robust AI provides a competitive, values-driven alternative for global markets. 🤖 Public-Private Partnerships Are Essential Sabine Demey shared insights from Flanders’ AI plan, emphasizing the role of co-funded initiatives that unite academia, industry, and government. Such partnerships, paired with strategic investment, are crucial to overcoming Europe’s scale-up and infrastructure challenges. Thank you to Robert Trager and the panelists for an engaging discussion, and to Leonardo Quattrucci for moderating. We look forward to next time!

AI industrial policy: join our panel discussion today! As China and the US race to develop ever-more powerful AI models, Europe faces a key question: can we bring together the resources needed to create our own foundation models? Today’s discussion will explore Europe’s path forward in AI—how building trustworthy AI could become a strategic advantage for the EU, and how a 'CERN for AI' could drive world-class innovation. Panelists: Mark Boris Andrijanič, Sabine Demey, Dr. Christiane Höhn, Max Reddel, and Robert Trager. Moderated by our Senior Fellow, Leonardo Quattrucci. Sign-up link in comments!

Reflections from the AI, Data, Robotics Forum: One of the big questions we tackled was: Does a “CERN for AI” make sense—and if so, what shape would it take? The debate on a centralised vs. decentralised model was fascinating, with so many thoughtful voices on both sides of this false dichotomy—I can't wait to unpack and explore this question further! It was lovely to reconnect with old friends and meeting new ones. A huge thank you to the Adra - AI-Data-Robotics-Association team, our thought-provoking moderator Maryline Fiaschi, and my exceptional co-panelists Hedi Karray, Ross King, and Petri Myllymäki. I loved our conversations during and after the panel! Towards trustworthy AI—for science and beyond!👏