MediaFutures partner NORA is organising a digital discussion on the allocation of the AI billion.

In Norway, there is an ongoing discussion about how to best allocate the ‘AI billion.’ Some suggest that we should use various tools to support AI research, following the traditional approach of calling for proposals managed by The Research Council of Norway’s portfolio management. This method is well-established, offering flexibility, utilizing existing infrastructure, and enabling quick announcements of proposal calls.

On the other hand, others believe that we have a unique opportunity for a more concentrated and coordinated effort, bringing together different disciplines, stakeholders, and sectors through a centralized solution, which involves a distributed center approach. This could enhance coordination and create networks and meeting spaces that are challenging to establish using more conventional methods.

Since the latter solution is less common and relatively unfamiliar in Norway, we are actively seeking insights from various AI centers and networks in successful European nations to learn about their operational structures.

Program:

10:00-10:05: Klas Pettersen, CEO NORA, Welcome and short introduction
10:05-10:25: Serge Belongie, Director, Pioneer Centre for Artificial Intelligence (Denmark)
10:25-10:35: Questions to Serge Belongie
10:35-10:55: Simon Reeve, Director for Innovation, The Alan Turing Institute (UK)
10:55-11:00: Questions to Simon Reeve
11:00-11:20: Samuel Kaski, director, Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence FCAI (Finland)
11:20-11:30: Questions to Samuel Kaski/Petri Myllymaki (and others)