The Quality Seal for Artificial Intelligence
Austria’s first AI testing and qualification hub
28. July 2023
At a press conference yesterday, Upper Austria’s governor Thomas Stelzer underlined the outstanding importance of artificial intelligence (AI) as a key technology for industry and the Upper Austrian government’s innovation strategy. In this connection, the foundation of the AI testing and qualification hub TRUSTIFAI, a groundbreaking cooperation between TÜV AUSTRIA and Software Competence Center Hagenberg (SCCH), is a significant step forward. “TRUSTIFAI serves the testing and certification of AI applications,” said Stelzer. “Introducing an independent seal of quality subject to the most stringent standards will create trust in the secure and reliable use of AI, and this in turn will promote the growth of the AI market still further.”
Markus Achleitner, head of the department for industry and research of the Upper Austrian government, stressed that Upper Austria is pursuing the goal of becoming a model region for human-centred artificial intelligence by 2030. “AI has enormous potential for businesses,” said Achleitner. “Certification is a key opportunity to create confidence and gain competitive advantages.”
The CEOs of TÜV AUSTRIA and Software Competence Center Hagenberg, Dr. Stefan Haas and Markus Manz, highlight the fact that TRUSTIFAI will play a leading role in the field of AI testing and certification in Europe. In performing these tasks, TRUSTIFAI relies on testing methods founded on science and on transparency in order to strengthen confidence in the technology and create a win-win situation for businesses and society as a whole.
Since 2020, TÜV AUSTRIA, the Machine Learning Institute at the JKU and SCCH have been collaborating on putting the scientific know-how from basic research into machine learning (ML) into practice in methods for quality control and certification. “The method consists of a valid statistical examination of the ML models used and which will now be made available to the AI community in Austria and Europe through TRUSTIFAI,” said Dr. Bernhard Nessler, research manager Deep Learning and Certification at SCCH.
TÜV AUSTRIA has already carried out successful AI certification projects in the fields of healthcare, industrial AI applications and the automotive industry. The aim is to establish TRUSTIFAI as the leading AI testing and qualification hub with global coverage and international growth. TRUSTIFAI already has all the necessary skills and testing competences to support the establishment of an Austrian AI authority, and ensures that sufficient expertise and capacities are available for certifying AI applications in line with the EU AI Act. “The current testing catalogue contains around 300 testing criteria relating to functional requirements, secure development, ethics and data protection and is being constantly expanded,” says Thomas Doms, managing director, TRUSTIFAI.
For more information on the press conference on 27/07/2023, visit
https://www.land-oberoesterreich.gv.at/519288.htm
More information on TRUSTIFAI is available on their website
Photos © Land OÖ / Peter Mayr