The B ridge AI Project (2024)

Abstract: This paper describes the project “BridgeAI: Boosting Regulatory Implementation with Data-driven insights, Global expertise, and Ethics for AI”, a one-year science-for-policy research project funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). The project aims to provide decision-makers in Portugal with the best context to implement the EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act and bridge the gap between AI research and policy. Although not exclusively on machine translation, the project pertains to natural language processing in general and ultimately to each of us as citizens.

## introduction world-leading researchers in artificial intelligence (ai) hold differing views on the potential risks of ai in the future and on the need and intensity of ai regulation @xcite . these divergent views reinforce the need to align regulation and implementation with scientific evidence, informing decision-makers about real risks, opportunities, and future pathways. historically, the outcomes from science -policy interfaces have not proved to be straightforward and do not usually lead to the establishment of effective collaborations @xcite . the process by which knowledge is transferred from scientists to decision-makers is usually considered ineffective, due to a lack of understanding. furthermore, the recent approval of the eu ai act (aia) by the european parliament mandates swift implementation by member states, presenting numerous societal and scientific challenges. bridgeai aims to respond to these challenges, by moving towards a context-based approach that facilitates the creation of actionable knowledge at the intersection of science and practical, ethical, social, legal, and political domains. bridgeai's primary objective is to furnish decision-makers and relevant stakeholders with comprehensive contextual insights through the analysis of real-world case studies, and the collaboration between ai experts and decision-makers. by doing so, we aim to enhance the informed and effective implementation of the aia in portugal and empower stakeholders to transition from passive compliance with regulations to active participation in the responsible design of ai internationally @xcite . ## project overview bridgeai's proposal for the science-for-policy project received approval in march 2024. scheduled to initiate in april, the project entails six months of preparatory work followed by a three-day workshop in lisbon. this workshop will convene experts from diverse fields organised into different working groups (wgs) to formulate recommendations for the application of the aia by the portuguese public administration. the concluding day of the workshop will feature presentations of findings and a roundtable discussion on broader topics, open to the public. subsequent to the workshop, a detailed analysis of discussions and recommendations will be conducted, culminating in the formulation of a positional paper to aid the portuguese public administration in crafting a coherent strategy for the implementation of the aia. the project is designed to impact beyond 2024, and should include broader activities topics such as ai literacy to the public domain.