European Big Data Value Forum: How AI will change the foundations of our world

More than 600 experts from science and industry met with policy makers from the European Commission and the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in Vienna to discuss the challenges and opportunities of data driven artificial intelligence in Europe. The European Big Data Value Forum 2018 (EBDVF 2018) has successfully invigorated the big data community in Europe, facilitating networking between politics, industry, startup founders, research institutions and funding agencies, enabling consensus building between European and national stakeholders on a distinctive European vision of the data driven economy and AI, and disseminating insights from successful projects and visionaries. Participants from close to 40 countries have demonstrated the vitality and resolve of the European Big Data community for cooperation, opening up opportunities for joint projects and future initiatives. Established ICT players and newly emerging platforms have actively participated in creating a joint vision of the transformation process enabled by Big Data drive Artificial Intelligence.

As a EU presidency event, the EBDVF 2018 has contributed to the Austrian efforts for maintaining Europe’s competitiveness through digitalisation. Technical solutions for General Data Protection Regulation compliance were presented, illustrating the impact of European regulation on Big Data. Panel speakers and participants also reflected on the revision of the European legislation on the re-use of public sector information proposed by the Austrian presidency and discussed it’s potential impact on European Data Flow and opportunities for the European data economy. Ethical, economic and technological aspects of regulation were discussed in multiple keynotes and sessions, highlighting the path towards creating a regulatory framework which anticipates new circumstances and which highlights the added value of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence.