In an open letter, CLAIRE (the Confederation of Laboratories for Artificial Intelligence Research in Europe, claire-ai.org), offers governmental agencies and public institutions support in managing the unfolding COVID-19 crisis in Europe.
— Other countries are using artificial intelligence to help manage the crisis, including China, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea, says Emanuela Girardi, an advisor to the Italian government and one of the leaders of CLAIRE’s COVID-19 taskforce. – We can – and should – learn from that.
— The AI community has much to offer, and many AI researchers and practitioners stand ready to help public institutions that are in the front line of coping with the crisis, adds Prof. Gianluca Bontempi from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium), who co-leads CLAIRE’s COVID-19 taskforce with Ms Girardi. — Through CLAIRE, we can access and mobilise world-leading expertise across the full spectrum of AI, and we hope that this will make a difference.
CLAIRE has built the world’s largest network of AI researchers.
– Europe has the largest number of researchers in artificial intelligence in the world, says Dr. Morten Irgens from Oslo Metropolitan University, member of the executive board of CLAIRE. – They are an important resource. Let’s look at how we best can help in this difficult and extraordinary situation.
— Many scientists are motivated and ready to volunteer their capabilities, and there is plenty of evidence that expertise in artificial intelligence can make a difference in managing the COVID-19 crisis, says Prof. Holger Hoos from Leiden University (The Netherlands) and chair of the executive board of CLAIRE. – However, these scientists need a clear message from European and national authorities, as well as effective coordination.
CLAIRE, whose work is focussed on “AI for good” and “AI for all”, stands ready to provide this expertise and coordination, on a volunteer basis.
The open letter has been sent today to the presidents of the European Commission, Council and Parliament, as well as to the governments of all EU member states, and to those of Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The full text can be found at https://claire-ai.org/openletter-covid-19.
