Vicomtech participates in the constitution of BAIC - Basque Artificial Intelligence Center

17 entities, including Vicomtech, have set up the BAIC Association Basque Artificial Intelligence Center with the aim of leading and promoting the development of Artificial Intelligence in the Basque Country “to improve business competitiveness and the well-being of Basque society”.

BAIC is born as a public-private collaboration space. It promotes Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Basque Country, an instrument for its rapid adoption by the industry, and serves as a laboratory for experimentation and acceleration of projects with international positioning in one of the greatest technological and social challenges.

. The purposes of this association are:

1. To promote the development of Artificial Intelligence in the Basque Country.

2. To articulate the Basque Artificial Intelligence ecosystem (Companies, Technology and Research Centers, Training Centers, etc.).

3. To encourage the creation of new companies in the Artificial Intelligence sector, involving local driving companies.

4. To encourage the promotion of talent in Artificial Intelligence in collaboration with Basque Training Centers, promoting advanced training in this field, which allows promoting, developing, retaining, and attracting talent.

5. To promote synergies between the various scientific-technological capacities existing in the Basque Country, in the field of Artificial Intelligence.

6. To disseminate the Basque Country's offer in Artificial Intelligence internationally to attract talent, companies and foreign investment in the Basque Country, connecting and projecting companies with international networks and markets and,

7. To analyse and consider the ethical repercussions of technological advances in Artificial Intelligence.

BAIC will fulfil its mission through the development of different areas of activity that, together, allow the construction of complete solutions to the complex challenges that arise in the field of AI. Is about:

• Identify, strengthen and coordinate existing capacities,
• Promote, develop, retain and attract talent,
• Connect and project companies with international networks and markets
• Promote new companies in the field of AI,
• Deploy unique pilot projects in the territory and,
• Generate future lines of work for administrations and companies

The promoters of BAIC are CAF, Deusto Seidor, Euskaltel, Gestamp, Hupi Ibérica, Iberdrola, Inzu Group, ITP Aero, Mondragon Corporación, Onkologikoa, Petronor, Sener, and Versia; scientific-technological agents and training centers, among which are Tecnalia, Vicomtech and the Basque Center for Applied Mathematics (BCAM). The public collaboration comes from the hand of the SPRI Group on behalf of the Department of Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment of the Basque Government.

AI, a strategic priority of the EC and the Basque Government

The launch of BAIC takes place at a specific moment in which AI, like the rest of new digital technologies, has become an essential instrument on which to rely to respond to the challenges faced by Basque society. The Basque Government wants to lead the development and application of knowledge in AI and that is why in the Government Program it has considered AI among its priorities in commitment 14 “Industry 4.0 with roots in the Basque Country and development of Artificial Intelligence”. The Digital Transformation Strategy for Euskadi 2025, approved on March 31, 2021, includes Artificial Intelligence as one of the key technological levers to face the challenges posed by the three aforementioned transitions.

In addition, the European Commission is committed to digital transformation and, in line with it, both the great technological powers and the smaller advanced countries have started the path towards expanding the development and use of AI. A good example of the latter is made up of Finland, Denmark, Slovenia and Estonia, which have developed more specialized approaches that seek their niche and differentiation from the larger and more advanced countries.

The Basque Country has a very complete and competitive playing field, capable of turning the territory into a real test laboratory for the development and deployment of AI.