Dealing with AI: UG starts 'hands-on' course for policymakers

UG/Campus Fryslân will start the AI for policymakers course in October. Participants will learn about technical developments, ethical issues, business development and legislation in the field of artificial intelligence. In addition, they will work on an AI challenge within their own organisation. 'The programme is hands-on and innovative,' says coordinator Dr Oskar Gstrein.

The new course ('leergang', ed.) ties in with two important developments in the field of artificial intelligence, says Gstrein, associate professor at the interdisciplinary faculty Campus Fryslân. 'More and more organisations, both public and private, are having to deal with AI. They already have experiences with it or wonder: what can we do with AI? Also, there are an increasing number of artificial intelligence regulations that organisations have to take into account, such as the European AI Act and national legislation.'

Interdisciplinary

The 'AI for policymakers' programme takes an interdisciplinary approach, with contributions from the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE), Campus Fryslân and Law. 'From FSE, participants will get an overview of the technical developments of AI to date. Two Law colleagues, Lucas Haitsma and Nynke Vellinga, will talk about the issues and legislation surrounding AI in the areas of liability, discrimination and human rights. As for myself, I will talk about the questions surrounding the European AI Act.'

Get to work

An important part of the course revolves around the cases that participants bring themselves. 'AI developments require a new kind of policy. During the programme, participants themselves get to work on an issue within their organisation. This makes the course both active and hands-on. Bart Beima of AI-hub Noord-Nederland will help participants develop a strategy. And during the final session, they give a presentation about their plans.'

Microcredential

The course starts in October and consists of four physical meetings at Campus Fryslân. 'The hands-on and innovative course is open to all professionals who want to develop in the field of AI.' Participants also receive microcredentials after successfully completing the course. These microcredentials are digital certificates issued by the UG that allow professionals to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have acquired. For the first edition of the course, the organisation is aiming for at least 15 participants. 'And we definitely want to organise it more often in the future,' concludes Gstrein.

The Jantina Tammes School of Digital Society, Technology and AI partly supported the development of the course. More information about the course can be found here .