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Next-generation AI: networking beyond disciplinary boundaries

2 Jun 2022

At an AI symposium, eight newly appointed AI professors at LMU presented their research.

Artificial intelligence is a key technology that is already being employed in practically all areas of science and society. Furthermore, AI methods are opening up new perspectives in research. To promote AI and other technologies of the future, Bavaria has launched a High-Tech Agenda. Numerous projects and chairs at LMU are being funded within the framework of this comprehensive program. As part of a symposium organized by the Center of Advanced Studies (CAS) on the subject of “Next-Generation AI,” eight AI chairholders at LMU presented their main research interests. The eight chairs with an AI focus have been endowed by the High-Tech Agenda.

Following a short welcoming address by LMU President Prof. Bernd Huber and Prof. Christof Rapp, Director of CAS, the following new chairholders introduced themselves:

From left to right: Prof. Dr. Stefan Feuerriegel, Prof. Dr. Daniel Gruen, Prof. Dr. James Kirby, Prof. Dr. Barbara Plank, Prof. Dr. Chris Donkin, LMU President Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Bernd Huber, Prof. Dr. Björn Ommer, Prof. Dr. Gitta Kutyniok, Moderator Prof. Dr. Frauke Kreuter, CAS Director Prof. Dr. Christof Rapp.

Presentation of eight KI researchers

Following a short welcoming address by LMU President Prof. Bernd Huber and Prof. Christof Rapp, Director of CAS, the following new chairholders introduced themselves:

Prof. Chris Donkin (computational modeling in psychology) Chris Donkin is interested in cognitive psychology, particularly in developing and testing computational and mathematical models of cognitive processes.

Prof. Stefan Feuerriegel (AI methods in businesses) Stefan Feuerriegel’s main research area is the use of artificial intelligence to improve management in areas such as business, public organizations, and the health sector.

Prof. Daniel Grün (astrophysics, cosmology, and artificial intelligence) Astrophysicist Daniel Grün uses artificial intelligence to research the influence of dark matter and dark energy on the universe.

Prof. Eyke Hüllermeier (foundations of data science – intelligent systems – machine learning) Computer scientist Eyke Hüllermeier investigates the methods and theoretical foundations of artificial intelligence, with a specific focus on machine learning and reasoning under uncertainty.

Prof. James Kirby (spoken language processing) James Kirby is particularly interested in sound change, computational and statistical methods in phonetics, tone and register, language and music, and the languages of Southeast Asia.

Prof. Gitta Kutyniok (mathematical foundations of artificial intelligence) Mathematician Gitta Kutyniok researches how artificial neural networks and self-learning machines arrive at their decisions, how they can be made more reliable, and what constraints still exist.

Prof. Björn Ommer (artificial intelligence and cultural analytics) Björn Ommer works on all aspects of semantic image and video understanding based on machine learning and deep learning, such as visual synthesis and self-supervised learning paradigms and their applications in the digital humanities and neurosciences.

Prof. Barbara Plank (artificial intelligence and computational linguistics) Barbara Plank is interested in natural language processing (NLP). Her goal is to make NLP models more robust, so that they can deal better with shifts in data due to language variation.

The research interests presented cover a broad spectrum: from the more methodological/theoretical fields of mathematics and computer science to physics, psychology, and economics through to applications in the humanities, such as in the domain of speech and image processing. This broad interdisciplinarity is a strength of LMU’s and opens up many opportunities for networking and exchange across subject boundaries – a goal that is central to the mission of the CAS.

In the second part of the event, Prof. Frauke Kreuter, Chair of Statistics and Data Science in Social Sciences and the Humanities, moderated a panel discussion in which the scientists talked about future developments of AI research in society and the research sector and at LMU itself.

Further information

Astrophysicist Daniel Grün: Algorithms to peek into the universe

Mathematician Gitta Kutyniok: Understanding how machines learn

Economist Stefan Feuerriegel: Artificial intelligence (AI) facilitates better control of global development aid

Statistician Frauke Kreuter: The data treasure hunter

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