March 08, 2018

POLITICO Establishes Global AI Forum for Business Leaders and Policymakers with Accenture as Founding Partner

First in series of AI summits will take place on March 19-20, 2018 in Brussels, Belgium

BRUSSELS; March 8, 2018 – POLITICO, with Accenture Applied Intelligence as the founding partner, is launching a global artificial intelligence (AI) forum to help business leaders and government policymakers understand the impact of AI innovation and to inform responsible use of AI. As AI-based decisions have an increasing impact on human lives, the initiative aims to empower decision-makers to build a framework for governance in pivotal and unchartered territory.

The initiative will hold a series of AI summits and roundtables in multiple cities in Europe and the US. The first AI Summit will take place on March 19-20, 2018 in Brussels, Belgium. Carlos Moedas, European Union Commissioner for Research Science and Innovation, and John Delaney, US Congressman and founder of the bipartisan AI Caucus, are two keynote participants of the event. Jo Deblaere, chief operating officer and group chief executive – Europe, Accenture, will present recommendations on how business and government can work together to realize the potential of AI in Europe. Visit www.ai-summit.eu to view the full program.

In February, POLITICO also launched a monthly AI newsletter that includes news, analyses and examples of how companies and organizations apply AI, curated by POLITICO’s editorial staff with contributions from Accenture experts in data insights and research.

“We’ve been closely tracking developments at the intersection of politics and AI, and the time for substantive policy conversations is now,” said Shéhérazade Semsar-de Boisséson, managing director of POLITICO in Europe. “POLITICO is the largest newsroom dedicated to politics and policymaking in Washington and Brussels, and we’ll be the anchor and convener for these critical discussions in the coming years. We’re thrilled that Accenture has signed on to support the inaugural program.”

Narendra Mulani, chief analytics officer, Accenture Applied Intelligence, who will participate in the Brussels summit to talk about today’s state of AI said, “Interest in AI is surging but we are still far from realizing all the commercial and societal opportunities it brings. Our joint initiative provides an excellent forum where together executives and policy makers can start to address some of the associated challenges.”

These questions include how organizations can address the need to “raise” AI to act as responsible representatives of business and society if they are to build the partnerships needed to succeed in today’s digital economy – a trend Accenture refers to as “Citizen AI” in its Technology Vision 2018 report.

Furthermore, advances in AI are triggering a development that requires businesses and organizations to relentlessly reimagine how work will get done in the future, as described in an upcoming book co-authored by Paul Daugherty, Accenture’s chief technology and innovation officer. The book is titled “Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI” and asserts that those companies that develop innovative ways for machines to augment human capabilities will become the leaders of their industries.

To stay up to date on the AI forum, sign up for the monthly newsletter and join the conversation at #POLITICOAI.

About POLITICO
POLITICO is a global nonpartisan politics and policy news organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C. In April 2015, a European edition of the publication launched through a joint venture with the leading digital publisher in Europe, Axel Springer. Follow @POLITICOEurope and visit politico.eu.

Based in Brussels, with offices in London, Berlin, Paris, Warsaw, and Frankfurt, POLITICO covers the politics, policy and personalities of Europe and the U.K. With reporters in key national capitals, the publication connects the dots between global power centers. Its journalism lives online at Politico.eu; in print via a weekly newspaper distributed to more than 20,000 readers; in daily morning newsletters, such as Brussels Playbook and London Playbook; in POLITICO Pro, the real-time policy news service; and through live events.

In July 2017, an annual ComRes/Burson-Marsteller survey ranked POLITICO as the #1 most read and most influential publication on European affairs.

About Accenture
Accenture (NYSE: ACN) is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions – underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With more than 435,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

Accenture Applied Intelligence, part of Accenture Digital, applies artificial intelligence and human ingenuity at the core of business to help clients solve their most complex business problems. By deploying AI responsibly and combining it with our deep industry and analytics expertise, we enable the digital transformation of organizations, extend human capabilities, and make intelligent products and services a reality. Follow @ISpeakAnalytics and visit accenture.com/appliedintelligence.

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Contacts:

Dana Kuehr
POLITICO
+32 478 41 02 00
dkuehr@politico.eu

Jens Derksen
Accenture
+49 175 57 61393
jens.derksen@accenture.com