Responsible Artificial Intelligence

Intelligent systems that act autonomously and learn independently are regarded as key technologies for the next wave of industrial innovation. But what can intelligent machines really do and what do computers actually learn – and what does this mean for society? Two current projects at the University of Freiburg will be addressing these questions at the ‘Responsible Artificial Intelligence’ themed days between 21-25 June 2019. The University of Freiburg’s ‘Researching City Walls’ project run by the BrainLinks-BrainTools Cluster of Excellence combines science and art in public spaces and shows what happens when street art is inspired by research into artificial intelligence. Prof. Dr. Wolfram Burgard, Dr. Philipp Kellmeyer, Prof. Dr. Oliver Müller and Prof. Dr. Silja Vöneky, members of the ‘Responsible Artificial Intelligence’ research focus of the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS), deal with normative and philosophical principles as well as the ethical, legal and social challenges affecting the interaction of people with intelligent systems.

Artificial Intelligence and Street Art: Tram Talk

21.06.2019, 4-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.
Tram route 4

For the ‘Researching City Walls’ project, artists Smy and Fritz Boogie talked with robotics expert Wolfram Burgard, professor of autonomous intelligent systems at the University of Freiburg, about robotics, autonomous vehicles and machine learning. This conversation gave rise to the work ‘Ansichtssache’, which translates roughly as ‘a matter of opinion’. ‘Ansichtssache’ now adorns a local tram operated by the Freiburg public transport company. Under the title of ‘Tram Talks’, researchers and artists are holding question and answer sessions on the subject of artificial intelligence (AI) and street art on this tram. Anyone who is interested can find the timetable and track the live location of the tram on the website below:
www.nexusexperiments.uni-freiburg.de/stawafo/ki-bahn

Saturday Uni: Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence: A European Way?

22.06.2019, 11:15 a.m.
Kollegiengebäude II, Lecture Theater 2004, Platz der Alten Synagoge 1, 79098 Freiburg

In the 2019 summer semester the subject of the ‘Saturday Uni’, which forms part of the Studium Generale at the University of Freiburg, is ‘The Digital Revolution’. Members of FRIAS’ ‘Responsible Artificial Intelligence’ research Wolfram Burgard, Philipp Kellmeyer, Oliver Müller and Silja Vöneky focus look at how Europe can respond to the questions of society using systems that can act autonomously and learn independently.

Wall Talk: Yukie Nagai / Sare

24.06.2019, 6.15 p.m.
Kulturaggregat e.V., Hildastraße 5, 79102 Freiburg

At the heart of the ‘Researching City Walls’ project are large-scale murals in the center of Freiburg: each of these murals was created by one street artist and one scientist exchanging ideas and working in tandem. Artist Sare and AI researcher Dr. Yukie Nagai from the University of Tokyo, Japan, will answer questions about the picture they developed together, which Sare is painting on the back of the building at Rosastraße 19. Lectures will be given in English.

Freiburg Horizons: Artificial Intelligence: When will the machines take over?

24.06.2019, 8.15 p.m.
Kollegiengebäude I, Lecture Theater 1199, Platz der Alten Synagoge 3, 79098 Freiburg

Watches that record health data, self-organizing work processes, self-driving cars, and robots that explore remote planets: these are all examples of a networked world of intelligent technical systems which has become commonplace in recent years. From the start, research into artificial intelligence was associated with great visions of the future of humanity. In his lecture from the ‘Freiburg Horizons’ series at FRIAS, Klaus Mainzer, emeritus professor of philosophy and philosophy of science at the Technical University of Munich, looks at the question of whether artificial intelligence will replace humans – and argues that it has to prove itself as a servant of society.

Artificial Intelligence and Free Will

25.06.2019, 6 p.m.
Kollegiengebäude I, Lecture Theater 1015, Platz der Alten Synagoge 3, 79098 Freiburg

People have long disputed the conditions under which human decisions can be deemed free. Marcus Willaschek, professor of modern philosophy at the University of Frankfurt am Main will consider the question of whether artificial intelligence can have free will.

More information

• ‘Researching City Walls‘ project
• ‘Responsible Artificial Intelligence‘ research focus at FRIAS
• The themed days also overlap with the ‘Robotics: Science and Systems‘ conference in Freiburg, where more than 450 researchers from leading locations around the world will introduce and discuss the latest developments in artificial intelligence between 22-26 June 2019.