AI Ecosystem Focus Group

Background

The field of scientific AI/ML has evolved rapidly in recent years. As AI/ML implementations are applied to complex life science challenges, common issues have emerged, such as the output of poorly described AI datasets and models that commonly do not follow best practices. This has created fundamental problems with reproducibility, explainability, and trustworthiness, limiting the value of published AI datasets and models for the wider scientific community. In response, a diverse range of new AI/ML standards, metadata schemas, and AI-focused resources such as registries have been developed. However, these efforts have led to fragmentation and poor interoperability between AI/ML support infrastructure both within and outside of ELIXIR, creating a new set of challenges for building a harmonised ecosystem of impactful and reusable AI/ML research outputs.

The AI Ecosystem Focus Group brings together experts from ELIXIR’s Nodes  to address growing challenges within the scientific AI/ML field, particularly  the need for harmonisation in AI/ML infrastructure. Building on the foundational work of the ELIXIR Machine Learning Focus Group, the AI Ecosystem Focus Group's main purpose is to coordinate efforts, address fragmentation, and support the standardisation of AI/ML infrastructure, ultimately aiming to build a more impactful and reusable ecosystem for AI/ML research outputs across ELIXIR.

Goals

The ELIXIR AI Focus Group aims to solidify ELIXIR's role in the fast-moving domain of AI/ML research infrastructure. As scientific applications grow in scope and complexity, there are key gaps for ELIXIR to address spanning both stakeholders, policy and technical infrastructure implementation. 

The group aims to:

• Capture ELIXIR stakeholder requirements to support the creation of a unified ELIXIR AI strategy. 
• Engage relevant initiatives and stakeholders, such as aligning ELIXIR's AI ecosystem with emerging European regulations like the AI Act, and connecting with broader initiatives such as RDA, CAIRNE, ELLIS, EurAI, the AI Factories and EOSC. This will ensure ELIXIR's AI efforts are both relevant and interoperable.
• Address critical AI/ML challenges through dedicated task forces, covering areas such as reproducibility, explainability, trust and AI-readiness of life science research assets.
• Promote the adoption of AI/ML standards and foster interoperable solutions across ELIXIR infrastructure.

Activities

The AI Ecosystem Focus Group will provide guidance to shape a coherent ELIXIR AI Ecosystem of existing infrastructure. Activities will be organised through dedicated task forces, each tackling particular aspects of the AI Ecosystem.

The expected activities include:

• Actively contributing to the ELIXIR AI strategy to capture the full scope and needs of the ELIXIR AI Ecosystem.
• Supporting targeted BioHackathon projects to address key components of the ELIXIR AI Ecosystem, such as metadata and data resources.
• Engaging with relevant stakeholders within and beyond ELIXIR, through tailored events like webinars and workshops.