SAS signs the European Commission's AI Pact

The Pact is meant to help developers comply with the AI Act framework on artificial intelligence

In August of this year, the European Commission's passed the AI Act, the first-ever legal framework on artificial intelligence, to addresses the risks of AI.

The Act will be fully implemented over the next two years, and in the meantime, to facilitate the transition to this new regulatory framework, the Commission launched the AI Pact, which invites AI developers from Europe, and elsewhere, to comply with the key obligations of the AI Act ahead of time. 

So far, the pledge has been signed by over 130 companies, and now it has added one more, as analytics, artificial intelligence and data management software and services provider SAS announced it signed the European Commission's AI Pact on Monday. 

SAS' platform, Viya, enables trustworthy AI practices at every stage of the life cycle, from development to deployment, allowing its customers to gleam insights from their data, make more intelligent decisions, and drive relevant change.

The company has made collaboration a key part of its approach to AI. For example, it works with regulators, policy makers and like-minded companies around the world to help shape AI laws and policies, including consulting with the EU and EU member states to inform policies and the legislative process related to trustworthy AI. This has included working with the Swedish Institute for Standards on the development of the harmonized standards for the EU AI Act.

In the US, SAS has collaborated with the National Institute of Standards and Technology's U.S. AI Safety Institute Consortium, EqualAI, the Business Roundtable and other groups. The company also joined the Commonwealth AI Consortium, which includes global tech firms, research institutions, nonprofits and at least six Commonwealth member countries that have stepped forward to champion AI innovation and AI literacy. 

The AI Pact is structured around two pillars: first, gathering and exchanging with the AI Pact network.

Under this pillar, participants contribute to the creation of a collaborative community, sharing their experiences and knowledge. This includes webinars organized by the AI Office which provide participants with a better understanding of the AI Act, their responsibilities and how to prepare for its implementation. In turn, the AI Office gathers insights into best practices and challenges faced by the participants.

"In this context, participants can share best practices and internal policies that may be of use to others in their compliance journey. Depending on participants’ preferences, these best practices may also be published online in a platform where the AI Office will share information on the AI Act’s implementation process," the European Commission wrote on its website. 

The second pillar involves facilitating and communicating company pledges in order to provide a framework to foster the early implementation of some of the measures of the AI Act. Organizations are encouraged to disclose the processes and practices they are implementing. 

Other companies that have signed the Pact include IBM, Adobe, IKEA, MasterCard, Open AI, Palantir, SAP, Vodafone, and Workday.

"As a nearly 50-year-old data and AI company, SAS has wrestled with the ethical implications of many powerful technologies," Reggie Townsend, Vice President of Data Ethics at SAS, said in a statement.

"Our experience, culture and technology enabled us to quickly begin moving towards compliance with AI regulations. We look forward to collaborating with the organizations that share this commitment."    

(Image source: europa.eu)