Technological developments in artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming society as well as the theory and practice of government interventions.
Wide application of AI technologies has enormous benefits, but it also presents unprecedented challenges in terms of privacy, cybersecurity, consumer rights and ethics. As societal expectations evolve, lack of clear global rules & slow pace of policy developments in this area present a major challenge to businesses and consumers worldwide.
In collaboration with
RegHorizon and ETH Zurich’s Center for Law and Economics have partnered since 2019 to create an unbiased platform for a timely multi-stakeholder discussion among policy makers, academia, business and society focussing on challenges that AI technologies pose and exploring relevant policy solutions to address them.
The 2nd AI Policy Conference continues the multistakeholder dialogue started last year with leading experts to explore the use of public policy and societal engagement to capture the benefits of artificial intelligence, minimize its risks and enhance its adoption.
The Conference offers a unique opportunity for a truly multi-stakeholder exchange among high level policymakers, business leaders, civil society, and academia to discuss and co-create the future of AI policies.
THE CONFERENCE IN A NUTSHELL
An unbiased platform for a truly multi-stakeholder exchange among policy makers, business, civil society and academia.
50+ confirmed speakers:
International Business Leaders, Government Representatives & Academics;
6 panels & 2 key notes;
5 guiding questions;
2 academic research tracks,
led by ETH Zürich.
KEY THEMES
CONFIRMED SPEAKERS
- Policymakers: Swiss Government, Swiss Parliament, European Commission, European Parliament, US Government, OECD, Council of Europe
- Academia & Professional Organizations: Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (ETHZ and EPFL), Hertie School of Governance, University of Hong Kong, University of Durham, International Standards Organisation, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Swiss Association of Engineering Sciences (SATW),British Standards Institution (BSI)
- Business: Mastercard, ZestMoney, PwC, FIPRA, IBM, Mindsmiths
- Civil Society & IGOs: GenevaMacroLabs, Mozilla Foundation, ILO, Algorithm Watch, UNESCO, Swiss Digital Initiative, Youth IGF, DiploFoundation
Keith E. Sonderling
Commissioner, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, US Government
Dragoş Tudorache
Committee Chair of Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age (AIDA), European Parliament
READ FULL BIO
Dr. Ekkehard Ernst
President at Geneva Macro Labs & Future of Work and AI specialist at ILO
Dr. Jovan Kurbalija
Executive Director of DiploFoundation and Head of the Geneva Internet Platform
Prof. Dr. Elliott Ash
Assistant Professor (Chair of Law, Economics, and Data Science) ETH Zurich
Aileen Nielsen
Fellow Law and Tech ETH Zurich & Former Chair, NYC Bar Science and Law Committee
Prateek Sibal
Programme Specialist, Digital Innovation and Transformation, Communication and Information Sector, UNESCO
Dr.des. Angela Müller
Senior Policy & Advocacy Manager at AlgorithmWatch Switzerland / Team Lead Policy & Advocacy at AlgorithmWatch
Prof. Dr. Marc Gruber
Chair of Entrepreneurship and Technology Commercialization, EPFL
Amb. Thomas Schneider
Director of International Affairs at the Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM)
Karine Perset
Head of unit, Artificial Intelligence Policy Observatory, Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation, OECD
Karen Silverman
CEO and Founder, The Cantellus Group, Member of AI Global Council, World Economic Forum
Dunsin Fatuase
Country Manager, Coven Works, and Youth Internet Governance Forum (Youth IGF) Ambassador
Mislav Malenica
CEO, Mindsmiths, President of the Croatian Artificial Intelligence Association (CroAI)
Dieter J. Tschan
E-Government Representative for the Swiss Confederation at Digital Transformation Unit
Dr. Carlos Ignacio Gutierrez
Governance of AI Fellow, University of Arizona, Vice Chair, AI & Autonomus Vehicles Policy Committee IEEE
Prof. Dr. Carmela Troncoso
Tenure Track Assistant Professor, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
Prof. Dr. Karl Aberer
Professor, School of Computer and Communications Sciences, (EPFL), Co-Founder, LinkAlong,
Marta Janczarski
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42 Project Editor for ISO/IEC 42001 AI Management System
Dr. Katharina Hoene
Researcher Diplomacy, International Relations, New Technology, DiploFoundation
Prof. Dr. Roger Wattenhofer
Professor, IT and Electrical Engineering Department, ETH Zurich
Dr. Benjamin Minhao Chen
Assistant Professor, University of Hong Kong, Research Affiliate, ETH Zurich Center for Law and Economics
Karine Caunes
CAIDP Global Program Director (Paris), Center for AI and Digital Policy, and Editor in Chief of the European Law Journal
PRESENTERS ACADEMIC WORKSHOPS
Prof. Dr. Katja Langenbucher
Prof. at Goethe University’s House of Finance, Frankfurt; Affiliated at Leibniz Institute SAFE, Frankfurt; Affiliated Prof at SciencesPo, Paris; Long-term visiting Prof at Fordham Law School, NYC
Ben Green
Postdoctoral Scholar, Michigan Society of Fellows; Assistant Professor, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy; University of Michigan
Matteo Courthoud
Economics PhD Student, University of Zurich
Raphaela Andres
ZEW Mannheim (Researcher) and Télécom Paris-Institut Polytechnique de Paris (PhD student)
Jakob Merane
Researcher at ETH Zurich
Karel Kubicek
PhD candidate, ETH Zurich (D-INFK)
Niklas Eder
Humboldt University and University of Leipzig
Natalia Menéndez González
PhD candidate, European University Institute
Dr. Benjamin Minhao Chen
Assistant Professor, University of Hong Kong, Research Affiliate, ETH Zurich Center for Law and Economics
Tobias Wekhof
PhD Candidate in Economics, ETH Zurich
AGENDA
All times CET (Central European Time)
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
| 10:00 – 10:45 | Welcome & Opening: Ayisha Piotti and Sanja Fabrio (RegHorizon) Prof. Stefan Bechtold (ETH Zurich) |
| 10:45 – 12:00 |
Panel 1 How can we ensure that underrepresented stakeholders, including the Global South, Youth, and Civil Society in general, engage in the AI policy debate? Moderator: Natasa Perucica (Diplo Foundation) Prateek Sibal (UNESCO) |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Lunch Break |
| 13:00 – 14:30 |
Academic Research Spotlights, Part 1 13:00 Karl Aberer, EPFL – Social Networks and Trust in AI |
| 14:30 – 15:00 | Coffee Break |
| 15:00 – 17:00 |
Panel 2 Global regulatory developments and outlook Moderator: Ayisha Piotti (RegHorizon) Key-note Speech Commissioner Keith E. Sonderling, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Can AI Advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion? A Comparative View from the United States Panel discussion What are the implications and limitations of global AI regulatory initiatives from a business and civil society perspective? What is on the horizon globally from a regulatory perspective? Commissioner Keith E. Sonderling (EEOC, USA) |
| 17:00 – 17:15 | Coffee Break |
| 17:15 – 18:45 |
Panel 3 How can we use soft law as a policy option to increase the effectiveness and credibility of AI governance while fostering the acceptance of AI technologies? Moderator: Sanja Fabrio (RegHorizon) Amb. Thomas Schneider (OFCOM, Swiss Govt.) |
| 18:45 – 19:30 | Meet & Mingle Apero |
| 18:45 – 20:15 |
Academic Paper Workshop, Part 1 Doctrinal Track 18:45 Katja Langenbucher (AI as a product) Empirical Track 18:45 Matteo Courthoud (Algorithmic Collusion Detection) |
All times CET (Central European Time)
Wednesday, September 15, 2021
| 9:00 – 10:00 |
Academic Papers Workshop, Part 2 Doctrinal Track 9:00 Niklas Eder (Beyond Automation: The Effects and Legitimacy of Ubiquitous Personalization) Empirical Track 9:00 Ben Chen (Having Your Day in Robot Court, with Alexander Stremitzer and Kevin Tobia) |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | Introduction to Day 2 (and recap of Day 1 |
| 10:15 – 11:30 |
Panel 4 How can new technologies and innovative tools strengthen policy solutions? Moderator: Katharina Hoene (DiploFoundation) Aleksandr Tiulkanov (Council of Europe) |
| 11:30 – 11:45 | Coffee Break |
| 11:45 – 13:15 |
Academic Research Spotlight Part 2 11:45 Mrinmaya Sachan, ETHZ – AI for Education |
| 13:15 – 14:00 | Lunch Break |
| 14:00 – 15:15 |
Panel 5 How can data policy increase trust in AI applications? Moderator: Kristina Podnar Dieter Tschan (Swiss Govt.) |
| 15:15 – 15:30 | Coffee Break |
| 15:30 – 16:15 |
Keynote Speech Democracy and the Rule of Law in the Age of AI |
| 16:15 – 17:45 |
Panel 6 How can SMEs and startups prepare for AI technologies, innovate responsibly, and engage in policy dialogue? Moderator: Shalini Trefzer (Microsoft) Eva Kaili (European Parliament, Chair of STOA) |
| 17:45 – 18:00 | Closing Words |
| 18:00 – 19:00 | Meet & Mingle continued |
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GUIDING QUESTIONS
The conference will explore those key questions:
- What are the implications and limitations of global AI regulatory initiatives (including the draft EU AI Act) from a business and civil society perspective? What is on the horizon globally from a regulatory perspective?
- How can we ensure that underrepresented stakeholders, including the Global South, Youth, and Civil Society in general, engage in the AI policy debate?
- How can we use soft law as a policy option to increase the effectiveness and credibility of AI governance while fostering acceptance of AI technologies?
- How can new technologies and innovative tools strengthen policy solutions?
- How can data policy increase trust in AI applications?
- How can SMEs and startups prepare for AI technologies, innovate responsibly, and engage in policy dialogue?
The two-day program will combine keynote speeches, panel discussions (followed by Q&A), latest research spotlights and academic papers review sessions.
TARGET AUDIENCES
- Policy makers and governments
- Business leaders from multinationals, SMEs and startups.
- Representatives of international organizations and civil society.
- Academics, experts and thought leaders.
KEY BENEFITS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS
- Take part in an unbiased forum for the exchange of experiences and best practices in regulatory risk management.
- Develop insights into the likely near and far future for European and global AI regulations allowing you to predict, plan and optimize your stakeholder outreach and reach your strategic business objectives.
- Hear and share best practices in developing digital business strategy respecting societal concerns and governance approach.
- Engage with key experts on how to address business risk and build trust in the digital age.
- Contribute to a follow-up publication prepared by a world-class university with key conference take-aways helping define the path to an appropriate AI regulatory environment.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
