BRIEFING

EU Legislation in Progress

EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service

Artificial intelligence act

OVERVIEW European Union lawmakers signed the artificial intelligence (AI) act in June 2024. The AI act, the first binding worldwide horizontal regulation on AI, sets a common framework for the use and supply of AI systems in the EU.

The new act offers a classification for AI systems with different requirements and obligations tailored to a 'risk-based approach'. Some AI systems presenting 'unacceptable' risks are prohibited. A wide range of 'high-risk' AI systems that can have a detrimental impact on people's health, safety or on their fundamental rights are authorised, but subject to a set of requirements and obligations to gain access to the EU market. AI systems posing limited risks because of their lack of transparency will be subject to information and transparency requirements, while AI systems presenting only minimal risk for people will not be subject to further obligations.

The regulation also lays down specific rules for general purpose AI (GPAI) models and lays down more stringent requirements for GPAI models with 'high-impact capabilities' that could pose a systemic risk and have a significant impact on the internal market.

In this episode our hosts discuss the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, highlighting its implications for IT system management and legal liability. The scandal involved faulty software leading to wrongful convictions of subpostmasters. Issues include assigning responsibility for IT failures, emphasising the importance of thorough investigations, clear contractual agreements, proactive risk management and improved corporate governance to prevent similar situations.

What are the Drivers and Challenges of Ireland's IT Landscape? Digital Realty and Hewlett Packard Enterprise have collaborated together to author a report on exactly that! Let's deep dive into it and see what the conclusions and recommendations are and if they are relevant now and for the forthcoming years in Ireland, given the extraordinary A.I. age we are now living in. Yes, we have to pinch ourselves every day too!

In this Podcast our two hosts discuss how you can have a table of data connected to Dataverse refreshing in Excel online. That is, without the need for it to be opened in Excel for Desktop. If you have a workbook shared amongst many people all through the day and night you will find there are data conflicts between the users which becomes especially obvious when the workbook is opened in desktop. Sometimes data is lost. Occasionally and not that infrequently the workbook crashes or breaks entirely. The workbook becoming corrupted and unrecoverable. Keeping the workbook online minimizes these sharing problems. Currently Microsoft does not provide for refreshing of power queries in online mode only. In this video I show how you can still use power queries while keeping the workbook online only. The secret is to use Dataflows!

Exploring the Excel Data Analytics. This podcast episode is part of a series "Analysis Cloud Talking Tech Sense" providing insightful tech discussions, from Ireland, exploring the latest software, news, and innovative ideas, focusing on how global tech developments impact the Irish market. Expect coverage on tech giants, AI, cloud development, and the intersection of world politics and technology. With a unique perspective as both a developer and business owner, the podcast aims to inform and inspire tech enthusiasts and professionals. Join the conversation, share your thoughts, and stay connected with the tech community. Tune in for valuable insights and practical tips to stay ahead in the ever-evolving tech world.

The Topics covered in this episode are Data Management, Data Importing and Exporting, Data Cleaning, Sorting and Filtering, Power Query, Data Analysis and Calculations, Statistical Analysis, What-If Analysis, Solver, Power Pivot, Python Integration, Macros and VBA, User-Defined Functions (UDFs), Lambda Functions, VBA for Custom Functions, Excel Add-ins, Power Query for Large Datasets, Azure and SQL Integration Financial Modelling Automation with Office Scripts

In this podcast our two hosts discuss the highlights of the ongoing development of Excel Online, Office Scripts, VBA and the future of Excel, suggesting a shift towards cloud-based solutions for data management and automation.

They provide a comparison between Office Scripts and VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) in the context of automating tasks in Microsoft Excel. Office Scripts, which operate online, are more akin to Azure Functions than VBA, which is an older, offline macro language. While VBA is still useful, Office Scripts offer modern, cloud-based automation capabilities.

Power Automate can complement Office Scripts by capturing events and triggering actions, even from external applications like SAP. Office Scripts can run alongside VBA in Excel Desktop, expanding automation possibilities. The podcast highlights the ongoing development of Excel Online, Office Scripts and AI, suggesting a shift towards cloud-based solutions for data management and automation.

"Analysis Cloud Talking Tech Sense" is your new podcast for insightful tech discussions from Ireland. Host Leslie explores the latest software, news, and innovative ideas, focusing on how global tech developments impact the Irish market. Expect coverage on tech giants, AI, cloud development, and the intersection of world politics and technology. With a unique perspective as both a developer and business owner, Leslie aims to inform and inspire tech enthusiasts and professionals. Join the conversation, share your thoughts, and stay connected with the tech community. Tune in for valuable insights and practical tips to stay ahead in the ever-evolving tech world.