1st Workshop · Copenhagen · 7 May 2026

Operationalizing
the EU AI Act

Moving beyond policy debate into the engineering and governance methods required for verifiable compliance. From theory to practice.

Date
7 May 2026
Location
Copenhagen University 🢅
North Campus, Niels Bohr Building
Format
Half-day
11:00 – 16:30
Focus
High-risk &
Medium-risk AI

From Policy Debate to Technical Practice

The YODA (Yearning to Operationalize Democratic AI) Workshop is organised by an initiative from the Pioneer Centre for AI dedicated to bridging the gap between academic research and corporate implementation.

In 2026, the most pressing questions are no longer about policy interpretation, but about the specific engineering and governance methods required for verifiable compliance.

We yearn for research-backed tools and methods to ensure AI remains transparent, democratic, and trustworthy across the sectors that matter most.

⚖️
Fairness
Equitable outcomes across groups and use cases.
🛡️
Robustness
Resilience to adversarial threats and data drift.
🔍
Explainability
Transparent, interpretable AI decision-making.
Trustworthiness
Verifiable compliance with regulatory standards.
Agenda

Program

A focused, half-day intensive session facilitating direct exchange of actionable case studies, implementation progress reports, and real-world compliance challenges.

Auditorium A: Magrethe Bohr 01.01.EF.00
11:00
Welcome
11:10
Introduction to the AI Act 🢅
Katerina Helena Vinther
Martin Skovbjerg Jensen
Digitaliseringsstyrelsen
11:40
Why Trustworthiness in AI is Difficult 🢅
Sneha Das, DTU Compute
12:00
Lunch
NBB 1.01.F.64+NBB 1.01.F.70
12:50
Introduction of the Breakout Sessions
Track 01 · Design & Governance Track 02 · Implementation Track 03 · Risk
13:00
Case Presentations
Two practical cases per track · 10 min each + Q&A
13:30
Group Work — Round 1
Case-anchored peer exchange in small groups
14:00
Group Summary
14:15
Coffee Break
14:30
Group Work — Round 2
Dilemma-driven working groups
15:15
Group Summary
15:30
Session Summary
Cross-group findings and key takeaways per track
Auditorium A: Magrethe Bohr 01.01.EF.00
16:00
Synthesis & Next Steps
Cross-track findings · Network launch · Future directions
16:30
Networking
Drinks, sun, and good conversation
Breakout Tracks

Three Themes of Discussion

Track 01 — Design
Design & Governance
  • What frameworks and documentation standards have you implemented for the AI Act's ethical pillars?
  • How do you navigate regulatory uncertainty with national bodies or AI sandboxes?
  • What process checks ensure Trustworthiness, Fairness, Robustness, and Explainability?
Track 02 — Implementation
Tools & Validation
  • What tools, models, and metrics are you using in practice?
  • How do you quantitatively measure and validate modeling choices?
  • What key technical or validation roadblocks have you encountered?
  • What support from research institutions would help overcome challenges?
Track 03 — Risk
Risk & Safety
  • How is risk management integrated into your development lifecycle?
  • How do you ensure training data is high-quality and representative?
  • How do you protect systems from data poisoning and adversarial threats?

Experts at the Implementation Frontier

We are looking for professionals whose work centres on the practical validation and rigorous oversight of high-risk or medium-risk AI systems.

ML Engineers & Data Scientists
AI Architects & Data Governance Leads
Heads of AI Strategy
Compliance Experts
Technical Risk Managers & AI Audit Specialists
NGO & Civil Society Representatives

High- & Medium-Risk Industries

Focus Areas

Health & Biotech Finance Public Administration Legal & Justice Critical Infrastructure Education
  • Anonymized report of validated technical & regulatory insights
  • Launch of a long-term practitioner network
  • Ongoing collaboration between research, industry & regulatory bodies

Who We Are

YODA — Yearning to Operationalize Democratic AI — is a collaborative research consortium rooted in the belief that AI must be developed and governed in a way that strengthens, rather than undermines, democratic society.

Our work spans trustworthy AI, AI alignment, and democratic AI — always with a focus on the actionable: developing research-backed tools, metrics, and frameworks that practitioners can actually use. We bring together researchers from machine learning, law, and participatory design, alongside industrial partners, to ensure our work addresses real-world needs.

This workshop is part of that mission — creating a space for transparent, peer-driven knowledge transfer between academia, industry, and the people responsible for overseeing AI in practice.

Funded by
Danish Data Science Academy
DDSA · Pioneer Centre for AI
Line K.H. Clemmensen
Professor
KU MATH & DTU Compute
Sneha Das
Assistant Professor
DTU Compute
Ahcène Boubekki
Researcher
KU MATH & Pioneer Centre
Olga Kokoulina
Assistant Professor
KU Faculty of Law — CEPRI
Boris Düdder
Associate Professor
DIKU
Rasmus S.B. Jensen
Business Unit Manager
DTU Compute & Innovation Partner
Camilla M.V. Arffmann
Senior Consultant
KU Innovation & Industry Partnerships

REGISTRATION CLOSED

Thank you for your interest in the YODA Workshop.
Registration is now closed, but stay tuned for the next edition!