PARTICLE PHYSICS

For the annual Helmholtz AI conference, around 400 scientists and experts gathered at DESY to share cutting-edge research in artificial intelligence for science. The event brings AI enthusiasts and AI researchers from the Helmholtz Association and beyond together to exchange knowledge and discover the latest advancements and insights in AI which can enhance and accelerate the future discoveries in all areas of science. The conference started on Monday and closes on Wednesday with an evening roundtable open to the public, focusing on explainable AI.

The last year has seen the rise of Al from a specialist discipline to a growing technological phenomenon with a broad consumer uptake, with generative Al giving the tools for text and image generation to everyone. Helmholtz Al’s mission is to push the boundaries of Al research, development, and application, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, driving innovation, and democratizing Al for a data-driven future. The conference is a catalyst for reaching collaborative breakthroughs, forging lasting connections, and propelling the field of Al towards new frontiers of discovery.

The exciting topics cover a range of talks from general machine learning, machine learning on quantum computers, explainable Al, sequential data, to a panel discussion on foundation models and more. The third day of the conference is jointly organized by Helmholtz AI and Helmholtz Imaging to connect the two communities at Kuppel Hamburg.

A special part of the program is the Unconference - where the traditional, stiff rules of engagement are broken and where participants interactively drive the discussion. Unlike a traditional conference, at an unconference there is no set schedule, keynote speaker, or designated topic. Instead, researchers pitch the hot topics they are passionate about, start conversations, find collaborators and, with the help of a wide spectrum of experts, learn and discuss how to solve some of the hardest problems of their field.

On Wednesday evening an interdisciplinary roundtable discussion for the public tackles the topic of explainable AI and the question “When will we be able to trust AI blindly?” Experts from science, technology, philosophy and art will exchange ideas on this forward-looking topic and discuss questions from the audience. The event is held in German and free of charge. It starts at 7pm CEST in the DESY main auditorium and can also be followed on DESY's YouTube channel.