EthicAI4Care

Funding programme: Erasmus Plus KA2 - Cooperation among organizations and institutions - KA220-HED - Cooperation partnerships in higher education

Project reference: KA220-HED Round 1 2024

Principal investigator: Benedetta Giovanola

Role UniMC: Coordinator

Consortium:  HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO (F), Tallinn University of Technology (EE), UNIVERSITEIT GENT (B), UNIVERSIDADE DO PORTO (PT), UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM (NL), The Way S.r.l. Società Benefit (IT)

Runtime: from 01.12.2024 to 30.11.2027

Short description: Around 60% of today’s jobs are affected by digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI), necessitating novel/updated skills (IMF 2024). This percentage is expected to rise exponentially, with 90% of jobs requiring transversal digital/AI skills (Government of WA 2020). However, only 30% of EU citizens own basic digital skills (CEDEFOP 2021). EthicAI4CARE aims to address the EU’s top priority (PR.2 “enhancing digital skills and competencies for the digital transformation”, DEP 2021-27) through a brand-new training for boosting transversal digital skills integrating ethics by design and EU ethical values in teaching curricula (Action 6 “Ethical guidelines on the use of AI and data in teaching and learning for educators”, DEP 21-27). In doing so, EthicAI4CARE operationalizes the EC’s Digital Strategy for Europe 2030 based on trustworthy (robust, ethical, and legal) AI (HLEG-AI 2019) that asks to rethink higher education to train professionals that use and “shape technology in a way that respects EU values” (EU 2020). To this aim, EthicAI4CARE focuses on the healthcare sector, where the lack of digital/AI skills is perceived as a main barrier to digital innovation and future employment (GlobalData, 2023; CEDEFOP 2023). As research outlines (Grunhut et al. 2022), although AI is infiltrating rapidly into healthcare and the health tech market is growing at a fast pace, health professionals lack specific skills in digital/AI technology and the ethical and legal methods for its trustworthy use, which are critical considering the sensitivity of the field and the new EU regulation (AI Act). EthicAI4Care aims to address this call by integrating SSH and STEM in a new interdisciplinary ethics by design approach for trustworthy AI in healthcare through which upskilling university students and professors, and involving professionals in the field of healthcare to address the novel societal challenges and the labor market needs created by the advance and use of AI.

Total cost: € 400.000,00

EU contribution: € 400.000,00

EU contribution to UniMC: € 71.846,00