An online event organised by the Royal Society, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and the Max Planck Society took place on 7 October. It focussed on AI in Europe and considered topics such as European collaboration, trustworthy AI and the role of regulation. Involved in the discussion were Venki Ramakrishnan, President of the Royal Society, Antoine Petit, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Martin Stratmann, President of the Max Planck Society. We also heard from Marta Kwiatkowska (University of Oxford), Stéphane Mallat (Collège de France) and Nuria Oliver (Commissioner for AI Strategy and Data Science, Valencian Region, and also representing ELLIS). You can watch the event in full below. It was noted that Europe has been a leader in considering the social and ethical implications of AI.

"The Max Planck Society has created a scientific beacon of light here which beams far and wide, attracting both emerging and established scientists from all over the world," remarked Max Planck President Martin Stratmann. The new building, which houses all three of the Institute's departments, was constructed between September 2014 and March 2017. It was funded by the federal state of Baden-Württemberg's government which places great emphasis on research into intelligent systems: "With its Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen and Stuttgart, the Max Planck Society has firmly established one of the key research fields in the digital transformation in Baden-Württemberg," indicated Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann. "The federal state has contributed € 41 million to the new building in Tübingen – this represents a sound investment which will help ensure that Baden-Württemberg remains a leading centre of research on artificial intelligence." The new building provides scientists with an outstanding environment in which to advance their theoretical and experimental research.