More than 300 entrepreneurs from the northern Groningen region will gather on Thursday 28 September at The AI Congress of the North, looking for ways to integrate this revolutionary technology into their daily operations. This is the second year the event will take place, and once again the event is completely sold out. Unfortunately with long waiting lists for many still hoping for a chance to attend. Those who did manage to get a ticket in time have a great day ahead of them. The programme consists of talks by top speakers on pressing AI issues, networking with AI experts and the opportunity to get inspired by presenting various AI use cases.
According to the organisers, AI hub North Netherlands, ethics and responsibility will take centre stage this year, under the motto "AI with common sense". The 2023 conference will be held in collaboration with the ELSA AI Lab, which focuses on developing and implementing human-centred AI. Kees van der Klauw, head of the Dutch AI Coalition, will open the event. The coalition is a public-private partnership in which governments, companies, research institutions and civil society work together to drive development and initiatives in the field of Artificial Intelligence.
"The event is important for many organisations in the North that face the same problems: taking the organisation to the next level, reducing energy costs, getting work done with fewer employees due to labour market tightness and implementing innovations quickly. Can they use AI solutions in these processes? In many cases, the answer is yes. At the conference, we help people connect with each other through a matching app. This way, visitors can meet the right providers of AI solutions and expertise, or other organisations that are already using the technology in their processes and inspire them as role models," said Yvonne Kooi, programme manager of the AI Coalition North Netherlands.
Northern AI experts also want to clear up misconceptions about the technology and show that it can be applied by anyone and can make a difference. "We face many organisations that think AI is unattainable, that it is only for the big multinationals. From the many conversations we have and projects we do, we know very well that this is not the case. And that is exactly why we will be present at the conference, to provide insight into how AI can bring value to any organisation. By mapping processes, goals, challenges and existing knowledge within the company, we can quite easily present practical use cases and explore opportunities. The impact AI can make is really eye-opening," reveals Menno Fokkema, managing director at DataNorth, an AI consultancy based in Groningen.
