Increasing demand for AI and data experts: TAMK is an associated partner in the European ARISA project piloting AI education

AI can help us solve societal challenges, improve our daily lives, and create new business opportunities. The ARISA project, which aims to bring more AI knowledge and skills to the EU, is helping to address the AI skills gap in the European market.

Towards human-centered and reliable AI solutions

The Erasmus+-funded ARISA project aims to improve people's understanding of AI-based solutions, their design and deployment. The four-year project aims to develop human-centered and reliable AI solutions. ARISA will focus on current and emerging professional roles in four areas: business leaders, technology leaders, technology professionals and policy makers.

The project aims to build a solid and sustainable foundation for reducing skills gaps and disparities. The first step has been to develop a European AI skills strategy based on new skills requirements for people working in AI-related professions. The project will also provide curricula and training programmes that provide adequate knowledge and skills in AI. Experiments and piloting will be used to put the results of the project into practice.

ARISA includes leading ICT representatives, training providers, regulators and a wide range of stakeholders and social partners.

Finland is well placed to produce new talent for the data economy

In Finland, we can create a significant competitive advantage in the use of AI as well as fair and sustainable use of data. ARISA's topical theme is linked to the FairDatAct profiling project of Tampere University of Applied Sciences. The FairDatAct project is exploring, among other things, what kind of educational content the future data expert will need.

“As an associated partner of ARISA, we are participating in the project's joint efforts to ensure access to high-quality AI skills and reduce skills gaps and mismatches in Europe," says Katri Salminen, FairDatAct Project Manager.

However, she stresses that this requires high quality research and new innovations, diversification of data-related education and active cooperation between universities and industry. Projects are a good development tool for this.

In the FairDatAct project, we are taking TAMK's research and education to a new level by providing value, data skills and skilled staff to the industrial technology, built environment, business, social and health sectors.

Cooperation with European actors in ARISA also strengthens Finnish expertise

Finnish pioneering companies in the data economy have had expertise in the use of artificial intelligence since the 1990s.

“The big question is still whether Finnish small and middle-sized companies, SMEs, will start to develop their own data and AI technology," says Pia Hautamäki, a researcher in the FairDatAct project.

TAMK has several degree programmes that teach data and AI skills. For example, the Master's degree programme in Data and Artificial Intelligence gives students the skills to work in expert and development positions that require data and use artificial intelligence or aim to use them in the future.

With the launch of generative AI, ChatGPT, many Finnish companies have also started to use AI in digital marketing and sales. Recent reports show how productivity has increased, but it is also vital to note how work tasks have changed with digitalisation. Hautamäki points out that within the fields of AI and data it is important to teach subjects also other than just the technologies themselves as many types of work have already changed permanently.

 

Link to ARISA project website: Home - Arisa (aiskills.eu)
Link to FairDatAct project website: FairDatAct – Building a competitive edge in a fair data economy for higher education | Tampere Universities (tuni.fi)

 

Additional information:
Katri Salminen
Project Manager
Industrial Engineering
Tampere University of Applied Sciences
katri.salminen [at] tuni.fi, +358 40 682 4741

Photo: Adobe Stock, generated with AI