1. Can you provide an overview of the different AI initiatives and research at Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR)?
At EUR, numerous researchers are actively involved in various AI initiatives and research projects. Our experts are involved in diverse AI topics ranging from Law & Data compliance, Trustworthy and Accountable AI, Psychology of AI, Personalization & data and AI, Trial, Design and AI, Bioinformatics, Fintech, Health & Management and AI, and Retail Analytics. At ECDA, we support collaborative research & innovation programs and EUR initiatives, connecting experts across expert practices with external partners. For example, we are currently involved in projects like AiPact, AI MAPS, ALGOSOC, and EU programs such as MAGPIE.
To promote the growth of our AI capabilities and address the essential questions from the community, we have launched the AI@EUR program, which is led by a program team of EUR Data Protection Officers and ECDA marketing and program managers, supported by AiPact, and with ambassadors from all the different faculties. The program aims to identify and connect all researchers and staff involved in AI, create more awareness of AI-related activities on campus, and promote ethical and trustworthy AI practices while informing all stakeholders about the legislation on data & AI coming from the EU.
To connect and stimulate dialogues with our academics, we believe engaging in community building around data, AI & digitalisation is essential. Therefore, we are facilitating a dialogue with our researchers and staff about ethical, trustworthy, and responsible AI use. This comes together in the AI@EUR Program, which will officially kick off on May 11. The Ethics & Data Ethics event on May 11 will focus on the risks and potential of recent AI developments on our ethical thinking, considerations, (daily) practices, and dilemmas.
Through our upcoming sessions in 2023, we aim to capture the lessons learned and insights from current research and invite EUR faculty and staff to reflect on challenges, opportunities, and restrictions, with regards to the development and application of algorithms, from the Erasmian Values point of view. In addition, we are committed to promoting responsible and trustworthy AI use while driving innovation and progress in AI research and development.
2. How does ECDA support and collaborate with other departments or research centres involved in AI research?
ECDA collaborates closely with other departments and research centres involved in AI research. We have a multidisciplinary structure of 28 expert practices focused on foundational domains and six application domains. Each expert practice is led by an Academic Director, an inspiring and renowned researcher engaged in all the different schools at EUR. This makes it a transdisciplinary group representing the broad field of data sciences at the university.
Furthermore, the ECDA community stimulates collaborations across existing and new domains through initiatives such as facilitating collaborative research and innovation programs, maintaining a fast and diverse network of external partners, and organising regular opportunities to connect with both internal and external stakeholders. ECDA also has administrative commitments with other faculties at the university, such as EUR CvB, RSM, ESSB and Convergence.
ECDA also collaborates with other EUR entities such as the RSM centres, Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship, Erasmus University Library, CLI, Erasmus UPT, and different student organisations like Erasmus Tech Community, Turing students, MAEUR, Sustainability Hub, and Convergence research centres at TU Delft and Erasmus MC, as well as LDE centres like Centre for BOLD cities.
On a national level, ECDA is part of the broader data, AI, and innovation networks such as the Dutch NLAIC network and Responsible AI network of universities of applied science. On an international level, ECDA is involved in diverse EU initiatives such as ENOLL, OASC, and other international AI networks. In addition, we engage heavily in community building and creating collaboration and networking opportunities for their researchers.
3. Can you discuss any particularly innovative or groundbreaking projects currently being undertaken at the centre?
One of the notable projects is the EUR Smart Campus Project, which aims to utilise data and digitalisation to create awareness around sustainability and human well-being. The project involves the campus "citizens" themselves, and there are collaborations with Real Estate and Facilities, Erasmus Digitalisation & Information Services, the EUR data protection office, the sustainability hub, and external companies and startups. The EUR campus serves as a testbed for innovation projects that contribute to campus users' well-being, campus sustainability, operations excellence, and optimal and durable use of campus facilities.
Another significant project is the EU MAGPIE project, an EU-funded innovation project led by the Port of Rotterdam. The project aims to force a breakthrough in the supply and use of green energy carriers in transport to, from, and within ports. The project harnesses the power of data by linking a digital twin of the port with the power of AI to optimise the energy system and the use of renewable energy in connection with an optimised logistics network. In addition, the project explores various research questions, such as willingness to share data, algorithms for prediction and matching, and new business models.
ECDA is also working towards realising an immersive tech experience, data, and research space alongside with various parties at EUR and external parties. The space seeks to foster experimentation, data sharing, stimulate imagination, and support education and research initiatives. Additionally, ECDA is collaborating with students and researchers from the University of Applied Sciences Rotterdam and additional external partners in the context of energy transition and the immersive tech week in Rotterdam.
ECDA is also supporting studies into the psychology of AI, generative AI (such as chatGPT), and immersive tech, which are still ongoing. These projects show that ECDA is committed to utilising data and digitalisation to create innovative solutions contributing to sustainability, well-being, and decarbonisation.
4. How has the field of AI, data, and digitalisation evolved during your time at Erasmus University Rotterdam/ECDA?
During my time at Erasmus University Rotterdam and ECDA, I've witnessed significant advancements in AI, data, and digitalisation. While the first steps towards AI were taken in the 1950s, it wasn't until the last two decades that we saw a rise in AI in autonomous vehicles, image recognition, IBM Watson, AI technologies in robotics, and most recently, openAI Chat GPT (from 2020).
Data platforms have also become increasingly important, and in 2020, ECDA conducted an important study as part of the EU project Ruggedised on urban data platform development among 80 European cities. The study concluded that most cities still need to move from a situation where data is stuck in different silos to a situation where data can be shared in an open urban data platform. In order to create value from urban data platforms, building an ecosystem of trust among public, private, academia, and citizens is essential. Open data standards are also a crucial requirement for interoperability and data sharing between platforms, data owners, and data users.
At ECDA, we're actively supporting the Living-in-EU movement, which has laid down a clear set of guidelines and design principles for creating inclusive smart and sustainable cities fuelled by open urban data platforms and digital twins.
The discussions on AI and algorithms that are currently taking place are often rooted in data discussions. Fortunately, these have already been subject to many studies at EUR and other institutions. Topics include data quality, privacy, ethics, accountability, cybersecurity, and private property.
In recent years, public awareness and use of algorithms have grown significantly, with costs decreasing and AI as a service becoming more commonly available. Digitalisation is taking place across society and all disciplines, where eventually, everything will be connected via IoT. Data is our common fuel, and it's a very powerful fuel that demands new considerations, particularly with more advanced use of algorithms in our daily lives and generative AI.
Lately, developments in AI, especially around generative AI, are accelerating so fast that experts are asking for a time-out for humans and legal frameworks to catch up with the possibilities and consider how society wants to move forward in the development of AI. At EUR and ECDA, we want to stimulate this dialogue around ethical and trustworthy AI via programs like AI@EUR. Many ECDA experts are directly involved in data privacy and data sharing discussions and legal implications of the EU AI act.
5. What is the uniqueness of how ECDA /EUR research approaches and addresses societal AI challenges?
The uniqueness of how ECDA/EUR research approaches and addresses societal AI challenges lies in our combination of deep contextual knowledge and cutting-edge techniques and methodologies in data analytics, AI, and immersive technology. Our researchers have specific application domain expertise and organisational context knowledge, which we combine with advanced technological approaches to improve human-centred decision-making and solve societal and business challenges.
Our human-centred approach is a critical aspect of our research, and it reflects the diverse schools that form the Erasmus University Rotterdam and shape the Erasmian values. We believe that the link between context, strong techniques, and society is essential to make AI work for the greater good.
Moreover, we facilitate and stimulate a critical debate on the ethical, social, and legal considerations around AI's design and use and its impact on society. We strongly advocate for an equal and balanced focus on context, techniques, algorithms, and human aspects to make these technologies beneficial for society at large.
For more information contact: ECDA at ecda@rsm.nl