popAI celebrates the successful conclusion of the STARLIGHT project in Paris

The popAI project participated in the STARLIGHT Final General Assembly, held in Paris on 14th-15th January 2026. 

We extend our warm thanks to STARLIGHT consortium and project coordinator Nizar Touleimat for the invitation. Congratulations on the event, the impressive range of AI tools showcased, and project’s successful conclusion.

With this final event, EU’s H2020 SU-AI “AI in Civil Security” avant-garde cluster concludes its active projects’ lifetime. The collaboration between all three sibling projects (ALIGNER, popAI and STARLIGHT) has been exemplary, setting a success story and benchmark for clustering activities within EU Horizon frameworks.

During the third roundtable, popAI project coordinator Dr Dimitris Kyriazanos (IIT, NCSR “Demokritos”) emphasised that the project’s results remain highly relevant to current developments. Even two years after popAI project’s official end, exploitation activities are intensifying.

Key takeaways from popAI experience:
👉 the importance of following through national initiatives and a bottom-up approach within the EU MS
👉 standardisation on ethical and trustworthy AI, importance of engaging in CEN/CENELEC JTC 21 activities
👉 Need and opportunity: certifiable capability building for responsible AI use and LEA training
👉 Inclusiveness and transparency, with civil society representation and active engagement, including vulnerable groups

The popAI partners remain committed to promoting our results to foster future developments in the AI domain, raising awareness, and facilitating dialogue between all stakeholders.