Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1179052
24.10.19 10 INTERVIEW 'AI will empower humans, MASSIMO COSTA You are a member of the Malta National AI Taskforce and were involved in drafting the government's national strategy for AI. What is your background in this regard - which are your areas of expertise? In terms of my undergraduate education, my background is in creative computing – com- bining computing technology with art and culture, which is what my job at MUŻA in- volves. I subsequently studied for a post-graduate degree in Artificial Intelligence, an area I always found interesting, es- pecially when it comes to crea- tive intersections with AI. I am very interested in computer in- teraction and computer vision, which are also my areas of ex- pertise. Moreover, I also have a gen- eral interest in the direction AI could take us, which is one of the reasons I was keen on being involved with policy-making in this sector. In terms of my fu- ture studies, I would consider pursuing a doctorate – perhaps in an area related to bridging the gap between human inter- action and AI – since I would like to eventually venture into research. You are also currently engaged with Heritage Malta. What is the nature of your work with the agency, and how does computing tie in with its work connected with museums, conservation, cultural heritage, and so on? e heritage sector is be- ing transformed through the use of technology, including through the use of AI. Both my under-graduate and Masters studies involved case studies on tools which art researchers can use to have better access to art databases, and on how paintings could be grouped to- gether according to common features in the faces depicted in them. Today's technology, including AI, can help trans- form the way the our historical, artistic and cultural heritage is presented. Museums, for instance, can integrate digital games and interactive features within the visitor experience. is can make such cultural attractions more appealing for today's young people, who are "digital natives", having used technology from an early age. Research shows that visitors remember more details about their visit to cultural sites when modern technology is incor- porated within the experience than when older technology such as audio-guides are used. In layman's terms, how would you define AI? is is the million-dollar question. Last year, the EU is- sued a document were it ba- sically said that its experts couldn't come up with a singu- lar definition for AI. e defini- tion I prefer is that AI is when a computer is made to replicate intelligent human behaviour. But AI is very broad, and there are various sub-types. Malta's AI strategy aims to make the country "the ultimate AI launchpad". What does it mean to become an AI launchpad? An AI launchpad involves creating the necessary environ- ment – be it a legal, infrastruc- tural or resource framework – to make Malta a very attractive country for education in the AI area, and for countries to expand or start up in our juris- diction. e strategy outlines how the government will create certain incentives to make the country attractive, in terms of things like a favourable tax regime, and a significantly upgraded IT infrastructure. Malta plans to also strengthen the avail- able training in AI, with the University already intending to introduce an elective study- unit on the subject. ere are also plans to introduce courses for employees, and to deploy an informative campaign on Artificial Intelligence. Many professionals might not quite understand what AI is, while several people might have used AI in their everyday life but do not realise that they have done so. e government will moreo- ver be undertaking a number of public projects which will be utilising and further promoting the benefits of AI. Malta's small size gives it an advantage when it comes to experimenting with AI, and a number of legal and data sand- boxes will be created to allow those in the sector to experi- ment with the technology free- ly, but within certain parame- ters. Which elements of the AI strategy did you work on? And which, in your view, are the most salient points of the AI strategy? My main role within the AI task force was in the education and workforce working group, which involves meeting with all stakeholders in the education sector, such as unions, teach- ers, government ministries and representatives from the Uni- versity of Malta and MCAST. Within the task force, I was working for the generation of more awareness on AI, includ- ing by providing the necessary academic resources to students and by educating the general public on the technology. is included writing articles, in various publications, addressed towards the man on the street to give them a background on AI and its uses. We've heard of AI for decades. Why did Malta choose to focus on AI now? Is the potential for the technology increasing? AI has been in existence since the 1950s, but we are now witnessing a worldwide shift, with the technology becoming more prominent and having advanced to a greater extent. We now have a lot of big data which we can put to use with AI – more data is generated each year than the totality of that found in all books which have ever been written. is said, I think that having the type of AI found in some sci- ence-fiction movies – things like sentient robots – is still a considerable distance away in terms of becoming a reality. When it comes to Malta, our country has in recent years increased its focus on digital technology, as demonstrat- ed by its drive to become the blockchain island, for instance. Since these efforts were suc- cessful, and because Malta can use its size as an advantage in this regard, I think delving into AI was the next step in the pro- cess. How will AI change our everyday lives, and which projects is the government planning in this regard? AI can definitely improve our lives, although I should under- line that it's important that we ensure that AI is human-cen- tred and used for their benefit. ere are many ways in which AI can provide tangible ben- efits to people. An example would be wearable devices which can be worn by elderly persons, and which learn the habits of the person concerned – such as when they go to sleep Wilbert Tabone is a researcher in the areas of artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction and the application of technology in cultural heritage. He is actively involved in the cultural, technology and education sectors and is also an activist for a number of Maltese and international NGOs. Tabone is currently spearheading creative computing development in the local heritage sector and recently formed part of Malta.AI, the Malta National Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, tasked with formulating the national AI strategy