How do we make AI work for Europe? Follow the debate live

The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Europe is triggering great expectations and raising questions about the impact of the technology. For an up-to-date debate, tune in to the livestream of Huawei’s 2018 Academia Salon on Thursday 22 November. The event will bring together experts to identify strategies for delivering European leadership in AI.

The participants will look at the huge potential of AI for Europe and will discuss how the region’s world-class research facilities and vertical markets can be used to master this technology.

“At this moment of human history, where the digital revolution is making the world shrink even faster, Huawei is more committed than ever to a strong and united Europe,” said Abraham Liu, Huawei’s Chief Representative to the EU Institutions, who will be delivering a keynote speech at the event.

“Just as natural intelligence cannot exist without the brain and body, AI can only emerge and achieve its true potential if all its building blocks are in place – including big data and 5G, along with safeguards making the technology trustworthy,” stressed Walter Weigel, Vice-President of Huawei’s European Research Institute (ERI).

Fostering the right skills for the future technology-driven workplace is another prerequisite to ensuring that Europe is ready for AI. Dan Sobovitz, Digital Communication Strategist to the Vice-President of European Commission, will discuss new ideas for AI with a group of students who participated in Huawei’s University Challenge. The contest calls upon Europe’s best undergraduates to come up with new technological solutions.

Other key participants include Antti Peltomäki, Deputy Director General of DG GROW, European Commission, Salwa Toko, President of the Conseil National du Numérique of France, and Fabrice Morin, Scientific Coordinator and Manager of the Human Brain Project.

Watch live: the morning sessions will be streamed on Thursday 22 November from 9.00 to 10:40

Find out more: Huawei 2018 Academia Salon: delivering European Leadership in AI

Seeds for the Future: delivering skills for Europe

Today on Wednesday 21 November, ahead of tomorrow’s Huawei Academia Salon, 40 students from all over Europe, who participated in Huawei’s flagship CSR training programme, Seeds for the Future, will visit the EU institutions. After a visit to the European Commission, MEPs will play host to the students, whose study included a two-week trip to Huawei headquarters and research facilities.

“Helping to develop talent through AI skills training is one of the focus areas of Huawei’s new AI strategy. Companies like ours contribute to closing the digital skills gap, and our Seeds for the Future programme is part of this effort. By 2020, we will have enabled 2 000 European students to visit China through Seeds for the Future, and we hope this will help them prepare for a career in the ICT industry,” said Chen Lifang, President of Huawei’s Public Affairs and Communication Department, who will address the gathering at the European Parliament.

More about Huawei’s Seeds for the Future programme

Media kit

• Huawei Europe factsheets
• Exploration lights the way forward
• Insight into Huawei's HQ in south-east China: factsheet
• Huawei's global outlook: factsheet

About Huawei

Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. With integrated solutions across four key domains – telecom networks, IT, smart devices, and cloud services – Huawei is committed to bringing digital to every person, home and organisation for a fully connected, intelligent world.
Huawei's end-to-end portfolio of products, solutions and services are both competitive and secure. Through open collaboration with ecosystem partners, Huawei creates lasting value for our customers, working to empower people, enrich home life, and inspire innovation in organisations of all shapes and sizes.
At Huawei, innovation focuses on customer needs. Huawei invests heavily in basic research, concentrating on the technological breakthroughs that drive the world forward. Huawei has more than 180,000 employees and operates in over 170 countries and regions. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company fully owned by its employees.
In Europe, Huawei currently employs over 11,000 employees and runs two regional offices and 18 R&D sites. So far, Huawei has established 240 technical cooperation projects and has partnered with over 150 universities across Europe.

Press contacts

Yingying Li
+32 470 779 011
yingyingli@huawei.com

Jakub Hera-Adamowicz
+32 499 641 839
jakub.hera.adamowicz@huawei.com