This October, Barcelona will host a new edition of the AI Congress, bringing together more than fifty expert voices to address the impact, latest trends and new success stories from pioneering companies applying artificial intelligence, in a wide program that will also cover key issues such as the sovereignty and sustainability of this technology.
According to Joan Mas, Scientific Director of the Digital Area at the Eurecat technology centre and Director of CIDAI (Centre of Innovation for Data Tech and Artificial Intelligence), “the AI Congress has established itself as a benchmark meeting point for technological dissemination and the sharing of expert knowledge as a lever for creating and strengthening the artificial intelligence ecosystem in Catalonia, as well as a space to discover new tools and opportunities to create applications and products that impact people’s lives and businesses.”
The opening session of the congress, to be held on 22 and 23 October at the L’Illa Auditorium in Barcelona, will feature Albert Esplugas, Global Head of Analyst Relations for Generative AI at Amazon Web Services (AWS), he will analyse the current state and future trajectory of artificial intelligence and its impact on business, society and everyday life. He will be also addressing key sector trends such as generative AI, AI agents, multimodal AI and quantum artificial intelligence, among others.
Rod Evans, NVIDIA’s Vice President for Supercomputing and a business leader with more than thirty years of experience in the information technology industry, will reflect on the concept of sovereign AI—the ability of a nation to develop, deploy and govern artificial intelligence systems in line with its own laws, ethical standards and strategic priorities—and its implementation for Europe’s future.
Among the expert speakers, the AI Congress will also feature Mario Lanza, professor at the National University of Singapore, who will present a new computational paradigm, neuromorphic computing, a technology that has proven to be up to 1,000 times more energy-efficient in small-scale systems.
In addition, with the aim of showcasing high-impact sectoral applications, this year’s edition will include a presentation by Marta Tolos, Head of AI Services and Platforms at AstraZeneca, who will illustrate how artificial intelligence is being integrated into key biomedical processes within the pharmaceutical sector.
This year’s edition will also recognize the career of Carme Torras, robotics expert and Head of the Robotic Perception and Manipulation Group at the Institute of Robotics and Industrial Informatics (CSIC-UPC), awarded with distinctions such as the 2020 National Research Award and the 2024 Cross of Saint George, among others. The researcher will present the co-design of robotic assistants and reveal the key factors that enhance their usability in healthcare settings.
Artificial intelligence technology trends
The second day of the event will offer an overview of the main trends in artificial intelligence through nine thematic sessions, featuring projects and initiatives from sectors such as agentic AI, intelligent robotics and biotechnology, among others. In addition, two sessions will be dedicated to presenting success stories, with a total of 17 innovative projects that improve processes, boost businesses and provide new creative perspectives.
The AI Congress is a CIDAI event organized by Eurecat, within the framework of the Catalonia Artificial Intelligence Strategy promoted by the Government of Catalonia. The congress is sponsored by CaixaBank Tech, Conversia, Infini, Softeng, the Catalan Data Protection Authority (APDCAT) and Laboral Kutxa, and collaborates with the Barcelona City Council, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, the Computer Vision Center, the i2CAT Foundation and the Intelligent Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Research Center (IDEAI) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC).
