The importance of AI governance: beyond regulatory compliance [Promoted content]

The Euractiv webinar, ‘AI Governance and Compliance: A Call to Action,’ co-organized by Intellera and Modulos, highlighted the critical need for strong AI governance that goes beyond compliance to regulations and presented their synergistic approach. 

Kevin Schawinski is the CEO of Modulos.

Sara Mancini is Senior Manager at Intellera Consulting.

It emphasized the necessity for organizational integrity and the ethical deployment of AI applications. AI experts stressed the urgency of AI standardization and trustworthiness, while Intellera and Modulos joined forces to simplify this ahead of the EU AI Act. Bottom line: effective AI governance is both a regulatory imperative and a competitive advantage. Act fast.

The webinar featured contributions from a diverse panel of experts conveying the following key takeaways:

• A solid AI governance framework goes beyond compliance; it’s critical for maintaining AI system integrity and quality from start to finish, thus enhancing the reputation an organization enjoys among its customers.
• Implementing AI governance calls for a delicate mix of organizational and technological adjustments, tackling responsible AI practices such as fairness and non-discrimination.
• Technical standards development is key for helping organizations build trustworthy AI systems, serving as a bridge from legal requirements to their technical implementation.
• The clock is ticking: with only a limited period to become compliant to the EU AI Act, organizations must start reviewing their processes and formulating a strategic approach now.
• Intellera and Modulos stand ready to guide organizations in effectively streamlining their AI governance to align with upcoming global regulations.

AI Governance is both an imperative and an opportunity 

The webinar highlighted the different aspects of the journey toward achieving good AI governance. 

Organizations must adopt a strategic approach to meet the EU AI Act’s requirements while committing to responsible AI practices. This dual focus is essential to deliver AI systems that are both ethical and resilient. Responsible AI practices represent the opportunity to develop AI products and services that are safe and designed to protect consumers.

Efforts to adopt a Responsible AI framework that also focuses on fairness and bias prevention have been highlighted during the discussion, recognizing the distinct obstacles faced by small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in these efforts.

Intellera and Modulos can help to streamline organisations’ AI governance journey:

Modulos and Intellera joined forces to provide organizations with a holistic approach to Responsible AI Governance. They support organizations to design, develop and operate AI products and services in the new regulated environment. Their key mission is to facilitate the path to regulatory readiness by combining the strength of an innovative Responsible AI Platform, designed from the ground up with the EU AI Act in mind, with expert governance, risk management and organizational advice.

The combined benefits of Modulos and Intellera’s holistic approach to Responsible AI Governance are:  

• AI-Driven Organizational Excellence: they facilitate the adoption of Responsible AI practices, governance, and risk management tailored to organizational needs.
• Unyielding Regulatory Alignment: they help to adhere confidently to both global regulatory standards and internal policies.
• Empowered Data Science Teams: they offer actionable guidance for data science teams, fostering more informed and strategic decisions.

The industry perspective

A concrete testimonial of the challenges to build a solid AI governance framework and a call to action was presented by Yannick Spill, senior data scientist at EFSA. He described EFSA’s journey as they approached AI governance and exemplified the intricate process of integrating governance into risk assessment, involving a shift from a purely IT-focused perspective to a broader, more nuanced understanding of AI’s specificities within organizational structures. This proactive approach to AI governance by EFSA has been both reflective and forward-looking, acknowledging the need to grow internal capacities to effectively accommodate AI’s unique governance demands.

Valuable insights were also shared by Andreas Hauschke, AI ethics lead at VDE, about the process of standardizing AI trustworthiness, highlighting the AI trust label initiative undertaken by VDE. This label, built on several fundamental principles and underpinned by transparent standards, serves as a testament to the importance of defining and ensuring the reliability of AI systems beyond regulatory compliance. 

The time to act is now

Align your organization to global AI regulatory requirements and enjoy the benefits of elevating trust in your AI products and services.

Intellera and Modulos are ready to help you today reshape your AI governance and embrace responsible AI.   

Contact us for a tailored strategy that not only aligns your organization with global AI regulations but also boosts confidence in your AI offerings.