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- ORADA Responsible AI Conference Highlight: Unpacking the EU AI Act - From AI Opportunities to AI Responsibility and Compliance
ORADA Responsible AI Conference Highlight: Unpacking the EU AI Act - From AI Opportunities to AI Responsibility and Compliance
Elena A. Kalogeropoulos, Managing Director at E K & the good lab, will drive a workshop to unpack the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act's goals, the risk classification system central to the act, the compliance requirements and obligations that flow from the act and how organisations and companies can prepare themselves. What's in the EU AI Act and how can companies prepare themselves for it and other legislation that might lend from it in other regions. We're bringing the ORADA Conference Programme closer to you and sharing one programme highlight every few days.
Avela Gronemeyer
March 13, 2025
Lead. Learn. Share. Soar!
We’re excited to bring you this incredibly relevant and important topic at ORADA 2025.
ORADA 2025 Speaker Poster: Andrea G. Francis, Juanita Clark, Deborah Choi and Elena A. Kalogeropoulos
Dear Leader,
The EU Act, the first of its kind, seeks to navigate the balance between AI opportunities, ethics and safety. On the other side of the benefits presented by the use of large data sets and AI in healthcare, mobility, manufacturing, financial services and other areas in the social and economic sphere, we find the challenges. In yesterday’s newsletter, we spoke to some of the challenges and ethical considerations presented by the use of large data sets and AI. One of these was the misuse of AI resulting in harm, which is one of the key issues the EU AI Act focuses on by specifically addressing the potential threats to “safety, livelihoods and the rights of people” amongst other threats and risks.
What are the requirements of the EU AI Act, who needs to adhere to them, how and by when? There are critical questions that will be addressed during the ORADA 2025 Responsible AI Conference workshop focused on unpacking the EU AI Act.
So how can businesses and start-ups ready themselves for the upcoming compliance requirements?
Elena A. Kalogeropoulos, Managing Director at E K & the good lab, will lead us through the legal framework that’s bound to be relevant irrespective of geography on Day 1 of ORADA 2025.
ORADA 2025 Speaker Poster - Elena A. Kalogeropoulos
What to Expect During the Workshop - From AI Opportunities to AI Responsibility and Compliance: Unpacking the EU AI Act
In this interactive workshop, Elena A. Kalogeropoulos, a lawyer and technology leader will take walk us through the background and goals of the EU AI Act, outline the challenges presented by AI, unpack the risk classification system at the centre of the legal framework and work with workshop participants in thinking about what needs to be done and how.
At the end of the day, the goal is to implement AI responsibly and to so in a way that is both responsible, accountable and in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. This workshop will help us think about and plan to do so effectively in the context of the EU AI Act.
Take a look at the rest of the programme below:
ORADA Conference: 03 - 04 April 2025
ORADA 2025 Programme
Day 1: Thursday, 3 April 2025
Time | Programme Item | Speaker / Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
08:30 - 08:45 | Welcome and Opening - Balancing the Opportunity, Responsibility and Accountability in Data and AI | Avela Gronemeyer, Managing Director and Conference Host | Inno Yolo UG |
08:45 - 09:30 | Keynote - Connectivity: The Precursor to Impactful and Inclusive Artificial Intelligence | Juanita Clark, Chief Executive | Digital Council Africa, South Africa |
09:30 - 10:15 | PAM: Founderland’s AI Platform for Underrepresented Founders - Inclusivity at its Core | Deborah Choi, Managing Director | Founderland, Germany |
10:15 - 11:00 | Industry Perspective: Critical Steps for Businesses to Successfully and Ethically Integrate AI | Thato Sopeng, Vice President Information Technology | Sasol, South Africa |
11:00 - 11:15 | Break & Networking | |
11:15 - 12:00 | The Business Case for Responsible and Accountable Data and AI | Andrea G. Francis, Managing Director | Accenture Strategy & Consulting, USA |
12:00 - 13:30 | Workshop 1: From AI Opportunities to AI Responsibility and Compliance: Unpacking the EU AI Act | Elena A. Kalogeropoulos, Managing Director | E K & the good lab, Germany |
13:30 - 14:00 | Lunch Break | |
14:00 - 15:15 | Online / Cyber Influence in the Age of AI: Hostile, Digital Influence Perpetrators, Methods and What Lies Ahead | Florian Frank, Director | Cyfluence Research Center gGmbH, Germany |
15:15 - 15:30 | Outtro to Workshops & Networking Break | |
15:30 - 17:30 | Workshop Break-aways | |
Option 1 | Workshop 2: Practical Machine Learning Modelling | Mosa Nyamande, Director of Delivery | Khonology, South Africa |
Option 2 | Workshop 3: The Turing Institute - AI Ethics Governance in Practice | Dr. Ann Borda, Ethics Fellow in Ethics and Responsible Innovation Smera Jayadeva, Researcher Antonella Maia Perini, Research Associate | The Alan Turing Institute Public Policy Programme, UK |
Day 2: Friday, 4 April 2025
Time | Programme Item | Speaker / Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
08:30 - 08:45 | Welcome Back | Avela Gronemeyer, Managing Director and Conference Host | Inno Yolo UG |
08:45 - 09:30 | Enabling a Responsible AI Ecosystem | Dr. Christian Temath, Managing Director | Competence Platform KI.NRW, Germany |
09:30 - 10:15 | Panel: The Impact of AI on Journalism, Communications and Media | Aurelia Mbokazi, New Technology Communications Specialist | Independent, South Africa Juliet Nanfuka, Research and Communications Officer CIPESA, Uganda Catherine White, Executive Director | Cat White Media, Italy Shoki Kandjimi, Head of Comms and Stakeholder Engagement | PETROFUND, Namibia |
10:15 - 11:00 | Achieving Social and Economic Inclusion in the Age of Data & AI | Khethiwe Nkuna, CEO at SkillQuest & Social Impact Leader | SkillQuest, South Africa |
11:00 - 11:15 | Break & Networking | |
11:15 - 12:15 | Panel: Cybersecurity in the Age of Data & AI - Challenges and Opportunities | Avela Gronemeyer, Managing Director | Inno Yolo UG (hb), Germany + South Africa Wandile Mcanyana, Security Delivery Director | Accenture Security Mpho Moseki, Head of Data Governance and Metadata | CIB Standard Bank, South Africa Dominic White, Ethical Hacking Director & Managing Director | South Africa, Orange Cyberdefense |
12:15 - 13:00 | AI Adoption at the Edge to Process Data Locally | Christina Ambos, CEO, IoT & AI (AIoT) Industry Expert | AI Strategy Partner, Germany |
13:00 - 13:30 | Lunch Break | |
13:30 - 15:00 | Workshop 4: Creating a Trustworthy and Accountable AI Process Using the AI Ladder | Diana Pholo Stone, Data Scientist | Predictive Insights, South Africa |
13:30 - 15:00 | Workshop 5: The Impact of AI on Digital Marketing and the Corporate Workforce | Maha Jouini, Vice President and AI Policy Expert | AFRIA, the Francophone and African Agency for AI |
15:00 - 15:15 | Vote of Thanks and Closing |
Note: The ORADA 2025 Programme is subject to change based on planning and logistical requirements.
Affirming our Diversity and Inclusion Position Considering Current Political and Social Discourse
Our views on strength in diversity haven’t changed and neither has our position on being evidence based and science led. Inclusion is not only morally right and humane, it also leads to better outcomes as many studies have repeatedly confirmed. The need for people of good conscience - from all demographics and walks of life - to connect, share insights and good practices for the responsible and inclusive use of digital, data and AI solutions has intensified. It is critical that people who share these values are aware that there are others out there who believe that human rights belong in every sphere, including the digital sphere.
Only those that truly believe that their thoughts, actions and reflections can change the world will have the consciousness, gumption, audacity and will to even formulate the thoughts that lead to acts of trying, try and then get up to try again and again until they succeed.
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