Observed Signal · Apr 25, 2023 · Policy Update · Source: Trending Topics · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Negative
Austrian Researcher Calls National AI Strategy 'Catastrophic' and Developing-Country Level
Austrian AI researchers, led by Sepp Hochreiter of the Johannes Kepler University Linz, have sharply criticized the federal government's approach to artificial intelligence. In a LinkedIn post, Hochreiter described Austria's AI situation as 'catastrophic' and said companies were refusing to invest in or collaborate with Austrian firms because AI research is ignored. The article notes that Austria's 'Artificial Intelligence Mission Austria 2030' strategy, presented in 2021 by ministers Leonore Gewessler and Margarete Schramböck, lacked a concrete budget at first. Only €7 million was announced for 2021, mostly for green AI. The Brookings Institution ranked Austria as an 'emerging' AI country alongside Mexico and Uganda. Meanwhile, an €81 million 'Clusters of Excellence' funding round excluded AI; Günter Klambauer's €32 million proposal was rejected. State Secretary Florian Tursky acknowledged more funding is needed.
Article covers criticism of Austria's national AI strategy and public research funding; relevant to AI infrastructure but has limited direct impact on the global AdTech/MarTech industry.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Sepp Hochreiter, head of the Institute for Machine Learning at JKU Linz, called Austria's AI situation 'catastrophic' and said companies are avoiding investment in Austria.
- Austria's AI strategy 'Artificial Intelligence Mission Austria 2030' was presented in 2021 without a concrete budget.
- Only €7 million was announced for Austria's AI strategy in 2021, mainly for green AI.
- The Brookings Institution ranked Austria as an 'emerging' AI country, alongside Mexico and Uganda.
- Austria's 'Clusters of Excellence' programme allocated €81 million to five fields, excluding AI; Günter Klambauer's €32 million AI research proposal was rejected.
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“ORF.at is cited as reporting that only €7 million was announced for the AI strategy in 2021....”
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