StairwAI

Stairway to AI: Ease the Engagement of Low-Tech users to the AI-on-Demand platform through AI

Abstract

The most fundamental need of the AI4EU on-demand Platform at this stage in its development is the introduction of improved functionality to allow for the easy engagements of it core targets stakeholders, namely SMEs. While additional resources and strong domain-specific solutions are also needed, it will be a wasted enterprise without a simple mechanism to match users to these assets. What is needed is a Stairway to AI, a linking bridge between users in a low-tech level to the higher-level AI resources that have the potential to transform both their business. The StairwAI project targets low-tech users with the goal of facilitating their engagement on the AI on-demand Platform. This will be achieved through a new service layer enriching the functionalities of the on-demand platform and containing: (1) a multi-lingual interaction layer enabling conversations with the Platform in the user’s own language, (2) a horizontal matchmaking service for the automatic discovery of AI assets (tools, data sets, AI experts, consultants, papers, courses etc.) meeting the user business needs and, (3) a vertical matchmaking service that will dimension and provision hardware resources through a proper hardware provider (HPC, Cloud and Edge infrastructures). These services are designed and implemented by using techniques in an AI for AI fashion. The AI techniques deployed in the development of the services are natural language processing for the multi-lingual interaction, constraint solving, optimization and machine learning for horizontal and vertical matchmaking, knowledge representation for organizing the platform AI assets, reputation and fairness mechanisms to improve the matching results. StairwAI will have a tremendous impact on the sustainability, collaboration opportunities, accessibility and fairness of the AI on-demand Platform, enabling the definition of proper business models for the uptake of AI bringing new value for EU industry.

Project details

Unibo Team Leader: Michela Milano

Unibo involved Department/s:
Dipartimento di Informatica - Scienza e Ingegneria

Coordinator:
ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - Università di Bologna(Italy)

Other Participants:
Fundinfbox Accelerator Sp Zoo (Poland)
Bonseyes Community Association (Switzerland)
Thales Six Gts France Sas (France)
University College Cork (Ireland)
HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES DUESSELDORF GmbH (Germany)
Tilde Sia (Latvia)
I.N.F.N. - Ist.Naz.Fisica Nucleare (Italy)
Stichting European Grid Initiative (Netherlands)
Eindhoven University Of Technology - Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (Netherlands)
Universitat Politecnica De Catalunya (Spain)

Total Eu Contribution: Euro (EUR) 5.116.631,25
Project Duration in months: 36
Start Date: 01/01/2021
End Date: 31/12/2023

Cordis webpage

Industry, innovation and infrastructure This project contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101017142 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101017142