Stephane BAUDIN (LION)’s Post

🌍 A CERN for AI ? 🤖 👉 A few months ago, the European Group of Chief Scientific Advisors proposed a bold idea: creating a European research organization for artificial intelligence, modeled on the renowned CERN 🏛️. The European Commission quickly embraced the concept, and earlier this month, the Draghi Report reinforced the call for decisive EU action on AI, warning that "the risk for Europe is to be totally dependent on AI models designed and developed abroad." 🚨 🤔 In an earlier reflection, I explored whether a CERN for AI truly makes sense, given the multi-dimensional nature of AI's development and deployment needs. 👉 While CERN has undoubtedly been a global success in advancing nuclear research, it is, in many ways, a product of another era 🌐. Founded in 1954, CERN represented a singular institutional model—one that centralized cutting-edge research in a single location and under one governance structure. However, today's challenges in AI—and more broadly in the era of global digital governance—are far more complex. In our interconnected world, no single institution, no matter how well-funded or groundbreaking, can effectively manage the scale and diversity of AI development alone. 🤔 What’s the alternative? ➡️ Drawing inspiration from Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom's theory of "polycentric governance" 🏛️🔗, I suggest we must look beyond a singular European AI institution. ➡️ Instead, we should consider polycentric governance—a model where multiple autonomous, but overlapping, centers collaborate to manage shared resources and advance scientific progress. ➡️ This model encourages distributed collaboration, giving access to diverse actors across geographies and sectors. Such a model could ensure that the best minds, data, and resources from around Europe and the world are contributing to AI innovation in ways that are sustainable and responsible for all 🌱. ✍️ Eager to hear your and other POVs 💻 Toward a Polycentric or Distributed Approach to Artificial Intelligence & Science: https://lnkd.in/ezXxaX_Z 💻 Draghi Report - The future of European competitiveness (Part 2): https://lnkd.in/eg7Tzw3a (Jean-Claude Burgelman, Francesca Bria, David Osimo, Andrea Renda) #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Europe #CERNforAI #PolycentricGovernance #ElinorOstrom #Innovation #DigitalGovernance #Collaboration #AIResearch #EU #Draghireport

👏An interesting proposal for an inclusive #EU approach to the governance of #ArtificialIntelligence in a distributed manner, making use of emerging centres of excellence and talent across Europe. #Universities especially (including those in low-resource regions) can build on existing collaborations and talent development to boost and democratise #AI research, innovation, education and deployment to benefit #society at large. Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom provides eternal inspiration for effective governance of the #commons for public purpose and it is an important framework to be considered here as #AI should serve us all. Liviu Stirbat David Arranz European Commission Scientific Advice Mechanism

Interesting reading from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute: The rewards of long-term research investment. By analyzing data on research papers and technological developments, the critical technology tracker determined that China is now leading in quantum sensors, high-performance computing, gravitational sensors, space launch, and advanced integrated circuit design and fabrication. The United States retains a lead in quantum computing, vaccines, nuclear medicine, small satellites, atomic clocks, genetic engineering, and natural language processing.

A well thought article, as usual, by Stefaan Verhulst, PhD. Personally, I don't think decentralisation is a goal per se. It is context-dependent. In the current European context, I applaud the ambition of the idea of CERN for AI, insofar it means striving for excellence, investing in R&D and not spreading the resources too thin. As Mario Draghi makes clear, Europe lags in top research centres. However, if you look at the most prominent case of AI in science disruption, Alphafold, it was a cross-institutional collaboration between top AI scientists (from Google Deepmind) and domain experts (biologists at EMBL, Cambridge, UK) who hosted the data, and knew them in depth. The same pattern can be seen in other cases: AI in science flourishes through the collaboration of AI experts and domain experts. In this sense, centralizing AI talent is unlikely to be effective. I would rather call for greater investment in excellent research across the board, from life sciences to new materials to climate sciences, and make sure that these top research centres have strong in-house AI capacity. A second question would be about the interaction between supercomputers and research centres. Because if a CERN of AI had to exist, it would normally be associated with a top supercomputer: LUMI in Finland, Mare Nostrum in Barcelona, or Leonardo in Italy. And this is actually happening, in Barcelona, where top scientists such as Francisco Doblas Reyes (climate) and Alfonso Valencia (computational biology) are already using AI to push the frontiers of their research. So in this sense, some concentration is already happening around supercomputers.

Von der Leyen’s invocation of CERN indicates that the Commission is seriously considering proposals calling for €100 billion over five to seven years. This is more than the Commission’s entire seven-year research budget for Horizon Europe, which is €95.5 billion. Von der Leyen is proposing setting up “a European AI Research Council where we can pool all of our resources, similar to the approach taken with CERN”. Europe is trailing far behind the US in AI development and computing power, according to recent reports from the European Court of Auditors and the Commission. #VonDerLeyen #CERN #EuropeanCommission #AIResearch #EUR100Billion #HorizonEurope #ResearchBudget #EuropeanAIResearchCouncil #AIDevelopment #ComputingPower #EuropeVsUS #EuropeanCourtOfAuditors #AIProposal #AIInvestment #AIInnovation #TechFunding #ResearchFunding #Europe #AIProgress #TechDevelopment #EUInnovation #AILeadership #FundingProposals #EuropeanUnion #DigitalInnovation #FutureOfAI #ScientificResearch #TechEurope #AIInitiatives #AICompetitiveness #AIProjects https://lnkd.in/eyf9aPG4

Von der Leyen has just endorsed the €100 billion "CERN for AI" proposal, marking an important step to ensure Europe doesn't fall behind in AI research. CLAIRE has been advocating for this kind of unified effort for a long time. This initiative will help develop AI technologies that align with #EU values and benefit everyone. By working together, we can keep our competitive edge and lead in ethical AI innovation. 🔗 Link to article: https://lnkd.in/d5i3sj_c Holger Hoos Morten Irgens Philipp Slusallek #CERN4AI #AIResearch #EuropeanAI

"As our data shows, China has made huge strides over the past two decades, and especially since the 2010s," wrote the authors. They go on to suggest that Beijing's "Made in China 2025" plan – which was announced in 2015 and included massive direct state funding for R&D in key technologies – was a contributing factor. Areas in which the US leads are quantum computing, vaccines and medical countermeasures, nuclear medicine and radiotherapy, small satellites, atomic clocks, genetic engineering, and natural language processing. - theregister.com #computing #quantumcomputing #semiconductors #compositivelogic #Innovation #Technology #China #Entrepreneurship #management #startups #future #science #quantumtech #quantumtechnology #hydrogen #physics #mathematics #cosmology #quantummechanics https://lnkd.in/e2cNx-EV

Google’s new quantum chip, Willow, is changing everything. Key highlights: • 105 qubits with exponential error correction, a focus on stability over sheer scale. • Solving computational problems in minutes that would take classical supercomputers trillions of years (yes, longer than the universe’s age). • Applications poised to revolutionize medicine, AI, and clean energy, think nuclear fusion and beyond. And here’s the twist: Google’s findings hint at the tantalizing possibility of quantum computations leveraging parallel universes. David Deutsch's multiverse theory may not just be science fiction anymore. 🤯 We’re witnessing the dawn of an era where quantum computing begins to tackle humanity's grandest challenges. What a thrilling time to be alive! #QuantumComputing #Innovation #FutureIsNow

🌟 Exciting Insights from Stanford HAI! 🌟 As an event planner at Stanford HAI, I am thrilled to share this thought-provoking article by Troy Wolverton in the San Francisco Examiner, featuring our esteemed AI expert, James Landay. In this engaging interview, Landay discusses the future of AI and dispels some common fears, including the notion that AI could start a nuclear war. Instead, he emphasizes the importance of incorporating human-centered thinking into AI development to address real, present-day challenges. Key highlights from the article: - Stanford HAI’s mission to define and promote human-centered AI, considering broader societal impacts. - The real dangers of AI today, including disinformation, deepfakes, and discrimination. - The necessity for AI developers to integrate diverse perspectives early in the design process to catch potential issues. - A hopeful vision for AI’s role in education, healthcare, and daily life, enhancing rather than replacing human capabilities. This article is a must-read for anyone interested in the responsible development of AI and its potential to shape a better future. Let’s continue to foster informed discussions and innovative solutions together! Read the full article here: #StanfordHAI #AI #HumanCenteredAI #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership #FutureOfAI

Google’s new quantum chip, Willow, is changing everything. Key highlights: • 105 qubits with exponential error correction, a focus on stability over sheer scale. • Solving computational problems in minutes that would take classical supercomputers trillions of years (yes, longer than the universe’s age). • Applications poised to revolutionize medicine, AI, and clean energy, think nuclear fusion and beyond. And here’s the twist: Google’s findings hint at the tantalizing possibility of quantum computations leveraging parallel universes. David Deutsch's multiverse theory may not just be science fiction anymore. 🤯 We’re witnessing the dawn of an era where quantum computing begins to tackle humanity's grandest challenges. What a thrilling time to be alive! #QuantumComputing #Innovation #FutureIsNow https://lnkd.in/ewZkn5Br