The “Humane AI Net” project is laureate of the Horizon 2020 call “Information and Communication Technologies: “ICT-48-2020”: Towards a vibrant European network of AI excellence centers. 

The aim of the project, which gathers 53 European institutions (including Sorbonne University), is to build a European AI excellence center on human-machine interactions, in order to empower individuals and society, by providing new abilities to perceive and understand complex phenomena, to individually and collectively solve problems, and to empower individuals with new abilities for creativity and experience.

The core challenge is the development of robust, trustworthy AI capable of “understanding” humans, adapting to complex real-world environments, and appropriately interacting in complex social settings. The aim is to facilitate AI systems that enhance human capabilities and empower individuals and society as a whole while respecting human autonomy and self-determination. The Humane AI Net project will engender the mobilization of a research landscape far beyond direct project funding, involve and engage European industry, reach out to relevant social stakeholders, and create a unique innovation ecosystem that provides a many-fold return on investment for the European economy and society.

The research roadmap for European Human-Centered AI follows 5 major streams:
- Human-in-the-Loop Machine Learning, Reasoning, and Planning
- Multimodal Perception and Modelling
- Human AI Interaction and Collaboration
- Societal AI
- AI Ethics, Law and Responsible AI.

The main mechanism for implementing the research agenda are collaborative microprojects. These involve 2-5 researchers from several partners jointly working for a period of 1 to 6 months at a single location (which will be the location of one of the involved partners, the host), aiming to solve a well-defined problem related to a specific scientific/technological challenge. 

The results of the research will be made available to the European AI community through the AI4EU platform and a Virtual Laboratory, as well as a series of summer schools, tutorials and MOOCs to spread the knowledge, develop a dedicated innovation ecosystem for transforming research and innovation into an economic impact and value for society, establish an industrial Ph.D. program and involve key industrial players from sectors crucial to the European economy.