European data spaces: towards sovereign and sectoral AI

How can we build sovereign and sector-specific AI to strengthen innovation, autonomy and competitiveness in Europe?

European data spaces are paving the way for sovereign and sector-specific artificial intelligence, promoting innovation and competitiveness. This event brings together experts, decision-makers and industry players to explore the technical, economic and regulatory challenges involved in building these strategic infrastructures, which are essential for digital autonomy and data exploitation in Europe.

Programme:

Session 1: Industrial Data and Vertical AI - 2pm-3.45pm

• Jakob Rehof, Professor, TU Dortmund University; Director Lamarr Institute for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence; director Research Strategy, Fraunhofer Institute for Software and System Engineering
  "Data Sharing and Vertical AI – An Opportunity for European R&D"
  European data sharing ecosystems offer a great opportunity for taking a leading role in developing vertical AI for key application areas in science and industry.
   
• Emmanuel Bacry, Research Director, CEREMADE, CNRS Paris Dauphine-PSL; Chief Scientist, Health Data Hub
  "Data sharing and AI in healthcare"
   
• Tobias Guggenberger, TU Dortmund University; Fraunhofer Institute for Software and System Engineering
  "Why AI Needs Data Spaces – and Europe Needs Both"
  Artificial intelligence depends on access to high-quality, trusted data — and data spaces provide the infrastructure to make this possible. They enable sovereign data exchange, sector-specific AI development, and cross-organisational collaboration. By scaling this model, Europe can build a more efficient, inclusive, and competitive digital economy.
   
• Hubert Tardieu, Member of the Board, GaiaX
  "Data spaces : the competitive advantage of Europe for AI"
  Data spaces are relying today on trust framework which will soon become standards.Data sharing ecosystems are in progress for automotive, aeronautics and nuclear.They will be the data pillar of the ten vertical AI proposed by the Draghi Report.Germany,France and European Commission, plus many others, are today preparing the season 2 of data spaces to be launched early 26.

3.45pm-4.15pm - Coffee break

Session 2: The challenges of sovereign AI - 4.15pm-6pm

• Selma Souihel, Deputy Director of Inria's AI Program, INRIA
  "Sovereign AI in Action: Inria’s Approach"
   
• Anastasia Stasenko, Co-founder, Pleias
  "Tomorrow's Sovereign AI: Agentic SLMs, Synthetic Environments, and Context Infrastructure"
   
• Laurent Lafaye, Co-CEO, Dawex
  "Traceability of Data and Software Dependencies: A Foundation for Sovereign AI in Europe"
   
• Claude Le Pape-Gardeux, Fellow Data Scientist, Schneider Electric
  "Data and Artificial Intelligence for Energy Management"
  Multiple applications of Artificial Intelligence for Energy Management have been shown to be both financially and environmentally profitable, depending on multiple sectorial and geographical factors. However, a correct evaluation of their impacts is often hindered by the lack of reliable data from multiple actors. Solutions need to be found to enable appropriate access to such data, while respecting legitimate data protection and cybersecurity concerns at company and national levels.

Moderators: Eric Brousseau and Joelle Toledano, Governance and Regulation Chair, Paris-Dauphine-PSL University

Register here to attend the conference at Dauphine.