10/09/2021

Artificial intelligence has become part of our everyday lives as a result of progressive digitization. Its application has numerous social, legal, ethical and security implications. Experts will present these at the University for Continuing Education Krems on 20 October 2021. The conference is organized by the Center for Infrastructural Security of the Department of E-Governance in Business and Administration in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Kuratorium Sicheres Österreich (KSÖ).

Artificial intelligence (AI) in particular, bears a potential, that fired the imagination of authors and filmmakers early on, most of whom focused on the threatening facets of AI use. Much of what was once science fiction is already reality or at least appears technically feasible. Reason enough to ask the principled question "Artificial Intelligence - What does it mean for security?". In her keynote Prof Sita Mazumder, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, will provide answers to this question. So, the expert's presentation will cover what AI is exactly, where its development currently stands and what can be expected in the future. In this context, she will shed further light on how innovation cycles in AI are changing and how the relationship between humans and machines, especially with regard to the question of ultimate decision-making power, is shaped.

Helmut Leopold, Head of Center for Digital Safety & Security at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, will look at the prerequisites and challenges for safe and meaningful artificial intelligence. In his opinion, there are five basic challenges that have to be solved and taken into account already during the development of AI systems: Modeling, verification and explanation of the technical systems, as well as clarification of responsibility and ethical conformity.

Florian Petautschnig, ORF science editorial department, will be leading the panel discussion on the initial questions "AI - What do we know, what do we use, and what will we need in terms of security in the future?” Participating experts will be: Maresa Meissl, European Commission, Head of Unit Information Security, Walter Unger, Colonel of the General Staff Service and Head of the Department Information & Communication Technology, Security & Cyber Defense, Defense Office of the Austrian Armed Forces, and Wolfgang Ebner, Head of the Department Digital Strategies and Innovation, IT Planning and Controlling, ICT Management, Support, Federal Ministry for Digitalization and Economic Location. Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, Head of the Lower Austrian Criminal Police Office was also invited to participate in the event.

Ethical Dimensions when Using AI

Assisant Prof Walter Seböck, and Assistant Prof Thomas Lampoltshammer, both working in the Department of E-Governance in Business and Administration at the University for Continuing Education Krems, will be looking at the visionary development of Artificial Intelligence. Their presentation will consider the ethical issues raised by the use of artificial intelligence, the control mechanisms required to prevent it from becoming independent or being misused, the quality criteria that need to be applied and, finally, the realistic scenarios in which it can be used to generate economic and societal added value.

A come-together will close the event which Alexander Janda, Secretary General of Kuratorium Sicheres Österreich (KSÖ) and Ingeborg Zeller, Scientific Director of the Security Conference, University for Continuing Education Krems will lead through. The meanwhile established conference has become an annual meeting point of the security community in Austria and draws high-ranking experts from administration, authorities and the economy from the DACH region to discuss the topic of security. Thanks go to all sponsors and cooperation partners who support this conference.

 

19th Security Conference Krems 2021

AI - Dream and Reality. Aspects relevant for infrastructural security

Date: 20 October 2021

Start: 8:30 a.m. (registration)

Venue: University for Continuing Education Krems, Audimax

The event will be held with utmost care and in compliance with COVID-19 relevant security regulations (3-G rule). Short-term organizational changes are therefore possible.

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