The European Commission has launched a new pledging initiative designed to widen researchers’ access to artificial intelligence tools and resources by drawing in support from industry and philanthropic organisations.
The initiative, called RAISE — short for Resource for AI Science in Europe — is linked to the Commission’s AI in Science Strategy and is intended to complement public research funding with in-kind contributions, the Commission informed on Thursday.
The initiative was launched at the European AI in Science Summit in Dublin.
Initial commitments have been made by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Nvidia, Elsevier, Sanofi, Frontiers, Mistral and Google DeepMind, the Commission said, adding that the scheme remains open to further contributions.
Contributions can include access to advanced AI models, computing capacity, software licences, data, training and other resources used in research.
As part of the initiative, organisations must make a pledge showing sustained support for AI in science beyond their direct commercial interests, with possible contributions also including financial support, cloud services, scholarships, fellowships and training programmes.
New partnership and updated guidance
Mistral AI and CERN also announced a partnership under the initiative to develop what is described as the largest foundation model in physics, the Commission said, referring to a type of AI model trained on large volumes of data that can be adapted for different tasks.
The Commission also presented an updated version of its Living Guidelines on the Responsible Use of Generative AI in Research at the summit, describing it as the most extensive revision so far and saying it provides practical guidance for researchers and research organisations on using generative AI responsibly and transparently.
Three connected online platforms — the RAISE Hub, RAISE Forum and RAISE Observatory — have been launched to bring together information, resources and communities related to AI in science in Europe.
The pledging initiative will be reviewed annually, with pledges and progress due to be presented at future editions of the European AI in Science Summit.
