Held at ETSI’s Sophia Antipolis headquarters from 5-7 February, the event welcomed close to 200 participants from 25+ countries, with featured speakers including AI experts from government agencies, standards bodies, academia and industry.

Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) technologies are enabling disruptive new applications across a wide range of digital products and services. Reviewing the current status of AI developments worldwide, the Conference explored the role of standardization in ETSI and other SDOs to support the development of a robust market for safe, lawful AI applications and services within the framework of European policymaking.

Keynote sessions on Day 1 focused on generative AI, AI methods and related standardization efforts. AI regulation in various regions beyond EU was also surveyed, together with a review of global and European standards supporting the implementation of AI regulation under preparation in the respective regions.

Day 2 topics included cybersecurity and AI’s application to improve the efficiency of cellular and communications networks. Further sessions explored applications for AI across diverse sectors including healthcare, airspace management, intelligent transportation and industrial automation. Presentations on conformity assessment and testing methods in the context of the EU AI Act, and AI related functionalities in future mobile networks closed the day.

Day 3 discussions included AI for business governance, moral decision-making, sustainability challenges and insights on some latest AI technological and standardization trends. A panel discussion involving various ETSI Technical groups, which highlighted ongoing and planned activities in AI standardization, concluded the event.

During the breaks, attendees had the opportunity to visit more than 20 demonstrations and posters on the latest advances in the field of AI/ML applied to ICT systems and applications.

Several world regions are currently drafting legislation that will impact the deployment of Artificial Intelligence. In the context of Europe’s draft AI Act, the EU has stated its intent to facilitate development of a single market for ‘lawful, safe and trustworthy’ AI applications, and to ensure that AI systems placed on the market ‘respect existing law on fundamental rights and Union values’.

“AI/ML is already having a transformative effect in sectors ranging from finance and manufacturing to telecommunications and transportation” comments Markus Mueck, ETSI Board Chair and Chair of ETSI’s Operational Co-ordination Group on AI (OCG AI). “In this rapidly evolving field, it’s critical that standardization efforts by ETSI and other SDOs are supportive to the timely implementation of AI regulation that benefits the global market for AI. As an official European Standardization Organization (ESO), ETSI is offering a variety of standards and has more in the pipeline for the implementation of the European AI Act”.

Artificial Intelligence will impact on almost every aspect of future ICT systems. ETSI is accordingly implementing a distributed approach to standardization activities relevant to AI, with 14 Technical Committees (TC) and Industry Specification Groups (ISG) within ETSI currently working on AI-related topics.

Find out more about the ETSI AI Conference and view speaker presentations here.