First round of ELSA Labs awarded

TU Delft will work in two of the five ELSA Labs that have been awarded in the NWA call 'Human AI for an inclusive society - towards an ecosystem of trust'. In these two ELSA Labs ('Ethical, Legal and Societal Aspects') researchers, the government and businesses are working on knowledge about the development and application of reliable, human-centred AI in the fields of Defence and Public Safety respectively.

The first project in which TU Delft researchers will participate is the ELSA Lab 'Defence', led by TNO. Examples of the use of AI technology in defence are enabling fast processing of big data and intelligent, unmanned robots. The introduction of AI technology in defence raises ethical, legal and social questions. How can AI systems be kept under meaningful human control and how do you maintain the human touch when giving autonomy to machines? The ELSA Lab Defence develops a future-proof, independent and consultative ecosystem for the responsible use of AI in defence.

Researchers from TU Delft are also involved in the ELSA Lab 'AI for Multi-Agency Public Safety issues' (AI-MAPS), led by Erasmus University Rotterdam. Public Safety is vital for the functioning of societies. Data generated by multiple agents play an increasingly important role in preventing, preparing for and mitigating harm or disaster. The development of an ecosystem of trust regarding AI-assisted public safety promotion is central to this ELSA Lab application. In a variety of use cases, benefits and safeguards are analysed against the private-public-machine agency backdrop.

More information on the awarded ELSA Labs and their consortia: https://www.nwo.nl/en/news/more-10-million-euros-human-centred-ai-research-elsa-labs