On February 29th, Future Needs attended the GenAI Summit in Athens, held at Eugenides Foundation, with the participation of dozens of experts from around the world. The summit aimed to delve into the generative AI’s (GenAI) capabilities and transformative impact across sectors of public policy, legal, consulting and finance. The team had the opportunity to attend several panels and presentations from government officials, policymakers, innovators, educators, CEOs, researchers and journalists, packed with a lot of interesting information, ideas, and insightful discussions on what is coming next in GenAI. 

At Future Needs, we are exploring how AI can inspire creativity and innovation in product, healthcare and its role in education and customer experience. Our commitment to advancing research through AI dates back to the founding of the company, and AI serves as a pivotal tool for our projects aiming to enhance the quality of our lives and to address contemporary challenges. You can find more information on our research projects using AI here. Some highlights from the summit that are particularly pertinent to our projects include:

• Advancements in AI for Medicine: Our AI4Lungs initiative aligns seamlessly with the global momentum toward integrating AI into medical practices.
• Mitigating Environmental Risks: Through our HiDALGO2 project, we address the pressing need for proactive prevention and management of wild environmental phenomena, leveraging AI solutions.
• Ethical AI Implementation and Risk Awareness: With BeWEEN, we promote the responsible and ethical use of AI, while also fostering awareness about associated risks among stakeholders.
• Streamlining Data Management: TANGO, our project focused on data collection and storage management, contributes significantly to optimising data utilisation, ensuring efficiency across various endeavours, while our RECONMATIC project will apply AI for intelligent decision-making to drive waste throughout the construction life cycle.

AI and GenAI can be characterised as the most groundbreaking technological advancements in human evolution until now. Along with these advancements come a lot of risks, including an increase in misinformation and deep fakes, ethical dilemmas, environmental concerns and more, prompting nations worldwide to enact regulatory frameworks. This technology, though, opens up a very bright and exciting future for all industrial and non-industrial sectors. 

The transformative potential of this technology is immense, offering a pathway to a future where machines can handle many technical and routine jobs/tasks and therefore liberating human capacity for more creative and strategic tasks. Original ideas and creativity will be valued way more in the future. Health, environmental sustainability, public services and other facets of life can be enhanced, providing access to a higher quality of life for more people. 

However, realising this vision demands a concerted effort to cultivate technological literacy and adaptability. Individuals and industries must embrace a culture of continuous learning, including reskilling and upskilling initiatives, to remain agile in the face of rapid technological evolution. Embracing change, rather than resisting it, emerges as a fundamental prerequisite for harnessing the full potential of AI across nations and sectors.

Can AI get regulated?

During the summit, there were a lot of references to the AI Act, the EU’s initial attempt to regulate AI usage across EU countries. Similarly, Cyprus unveiled its national AI strategy in 2020 through the national AI strategy by the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, outlining their plan for AI implementation. Meanwhile, in Greece, the Special Secretariat of Foresight published the first research on the use of GenAI.

In conclusion, it was an insightful experience to broaden our perspective on what the future holds, and on how we can play a role in shaping it. Future Needs will continue to stay ahead of the curve with our approach to work, research projects and partnerships, delivering innovative solutions. 

Stay tuned and follow us on Linkedin and Twitter to be updated about our activities. 

Let’s innovate together!