What a journey! The Horizon 2020 AI4Media project, titled ‘A European Excellence Centre for Media, Society and Democracy’, reached a successful conclusion after four-years of a strong collaborative effort involving 30 partners from across Europe.
The European Commission has acknowledged the project’s legacy for the Union, recognising the commitment of the partners and the delivery of impactful results that will have a lasting and practical value for professionals within the AI and media fields.
AI4Media established a Centre of excellence with a central focus on the following core objectives:
- Delivering the next generation AI Research and Training at the service of media, society and democracy.
- Ensuring the embedding of ethical and trustworthy AI into future AI deployments.
- Reimagining AI as a human-centered, trusted and beneficial enabling technology for media and society.
Some of the major results of this concentrated effort include:
- The execution of two open calls, attracting over 150 applications through the F6S platform and resulting in the funding of 20 promising projects, 10 in Open Call #1 and 10 in Open Call #2, with a total funding allocation of €1 million.
- The successful launch and full operation of the AI Media Observatory, a critical resource for the monitoring and curation of pertinent content concerning AI in media.
- A significant contribution to the scientific community with over 400 peer-reviewed publications, garnering over 5,700 citations, indicative of the project’s scholarly impact.
- Recognition of excellence through the acquisition of 10 distinguished awards.
- The development of seven illustrative use cases and 11 functional demonstrators, showcasing diverse AI applications tailored for the media sector.
- The publication of nine White Papers, strategically designed to align advanced AI research with the practical demands of the industry.
- The establishment of a robust AI Doctoral Academy, dedicated to cultivating future expertise in the field.
- The creation of a dynamic Virtual Centre of Excellence, which has attracted over 56,000 visits and continues to serve as a valuable resource.
- The formation of a well-engaged community comprising over 250 members from the media sector.
- The identification of 80 key exploitable assets, including datasets and software, with significant potential for future innovation and application.
Within the AI4Media framework, F6S effectively managed the open calls and respective funding programmes, providing essential funding and expert guidance to 20 selected projects, comprising 10 focused on research and 10 with direct market applicability.
“The AI4Media project emerged at a time when both AI started to become increasingly mainstream and accessible to everyone, and the world was confronted with challenges that made headlines across multiple media platforms. It was rewarding for F6S to take the lead of the programme that supported 20 projects addressing AI and media, and to be acknowledged for providing support mechanisms that made a significant difference in the funded entities.” said Samuel Almeida, Project Manager at F6S.
The AI4Media project has demonstrably produced exceptional results, establishing a high standard of achievement, and providing a valuable model for future initiatives at the intersection of artificial intelligence and the media landscape.
