A research team of the Networked Embedded Software Lab (NESLab), coordinated by Prof. Luca Mottola, from the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering of the Politecnico di Milano takes part to CitCom.ai, one of the four AI Testing and Experimentation Facilities (TEFs) officially launched on Tuesday, June 27, 2023 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

TEFs were established by the European Commission with the involvement of more than half of the Member States and 128 partners through a 220 million euros investment to ensure that the advent of AI doesn't conflict with European values. TEFs will act as filters and safeguards between technology providers and society to ensure that the EU remains the place where AI excellence thrives – from lab to market – in a trustworthy manner for every citizen in Europe and beyond.

TEFs are permanent facilities in the European Union where complex digital technologies can be tested in real-world settings, physically and through simulation: from robots and artificial intelligence to networking protocols and data processing and management. The easiest way to understand what the TEFs do is to look at them as a sort of safety filter between emerging digital technologies and European citizens and beyond. This filter tests these technologies in real-life settings and so-called “living labs” before they reach infrastructure, society, companies, and consumers.

Other than being a filter to provide testing and approval as a service, the TEFs will also inform policy and provide feedback from the real world. Regulators will make use of the testing and experimentation at the facilities, and policymakers can look over the shoulder of the TEFs and make more informed decisions about the safe and proper use of AI technology. This helps ensure that they create safe, inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous conditions for EU citizens and optimal opportunities for European technology providers competing responsibly in a global market.

The current TEFs each cover distinct areas: manufacturing (AI-Matters), healthcare (TEF-Health), agriculture and food (AgrifoodTEF), as well as cities and communities (CitCom.ai). Specifically, CitCom.ai, with an initial focus on power, mobility and connectivity, will test AI and robotics before they get into places where humans live and move around.

The Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering of the Politecnico di Milano is also involved in AgrifoodTEF and TEF-Health, withtwo research teams coordinated, respectively, by Prof. Matteo Matteucci and Prof. Alessandra Pedrocchi.