CeADAR is front and centre of a major collaborative project across Europe in designing a new Human-Centered AI Masters programme with Technological University Dublin.  The pan-European collaboration includes four universities (one in Ireland), three centres of excellence (one in Ireland) and three technology companies.  As well as CeADAR, the other excellence centres involved are the National Research Council of Italy and Fondatsiya Evropreyski Softueren Institut – Tsentar Iztochna Evropa in Bulgaria.  The industry partners involved are Real AI B.V. (NL) and Nathean Technologies Ltd (IRL) and the Citel Group Srl (IT).

The three-year project started this year and has received EU funding of €2.25m from the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) through the Connecting Europe Facility funding instrument. The total cost of the project is expected to be €3m.

The aim is for the Master’s to be rolled out in September 2022 at the four universities – TU Dublin, Hogeschool Utrecht in The Netherlands, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II in Italy and Budapest University of Technology and Economics – BME, in Hungary. Each university will offer the MSc Programme in the academic year 2022/23 and award a degree separately.

Some areas being explored include how to build AI systems that respect the privacy of individuals, the implications of AI on humans and how to keep humans in control of AI.   The content of the curriculum will link technology, organisation, people and ethics based in real industry experience. Partners involved will be conducting surveys across Europe and creating focus groups to understand what is needed by the market place.  To make the material developed for the MSc programme as widely available as possible, materials will be published on the online Digital Skills and Jobs Platform during the project.