The Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) and the Luxembourg competition authority have launched the second phase of their partnership focused on artificial intelligence. This collaboration aims to develop a digital tool that combines various AI technologies to enhance the authority's analytical capabilities in handling increasing volumes of data.

Initiated in September 2024, the partnership has already produced an AI-based digital assistant. Building on these initial results, the partners are now moving towards a more ambitious goal: integrating different technological components from LIST's research into a single tool.

The project will utilize AI agents designed to assist competition investigators by automatically processing large amounts of documents and identifying specific behaviors or patterns. These agents will be complemented by visualization technologies developed at LIST, which will transform complex data sets into interactive graphical representations, making the information easier to analyze.

To expedite development, LIST will leverage its low-code platform, BESSER, which automates much of the application code generation. Researchers will also compare various AI approaches, including large language models, to select the most reliable and suitable for public authority requirements.

The goal is to free investigators from time-consuming tasks, allowing them to focus on analysis. The project will measure its impact in terms of time, effort, and quality of results.

Marco Estanqueiro, Vice-President of the competition authority, emphasized the need for continuous adaptation and innovation in their methods to ensure effective competition law enforcement in increasingly digital markets. He noted that this tool will help teams analyze complex and voluminous information while keeping legal judgment and decision-making firmly in human hands.

The development will follow an agile methodology with short cycles, allowing the authority's teams to test new features and provide feedback to prioritize the next steps with LIST researchers.

Francesco Ferrero, head of the Human-Centered AI research unit at LIST, highlighted that this project exemplifies how LIST transforms AI research into practical solutions for public authorities, aiming to create reliable tools that will be beneficial beyond Luxembourg.

The project is set to continue until August 2027, at which point LIST and the competition authority will have an integrated prototype that paves the way for new uses of AI in competition law enforcement in Luxembourg.