Bavaria is pulling out all the stops to continue strengthening its position as a leading region for artificial intelligence (AI) – and Passau is among the areas where this is occurring. The Free State’s strategy includes creating a state-wide, topic-focused AI research network as part of Hightech Agenda Bayern (HTA) that originates from the AI centre in Munich and takes in the hubs in Würzburg, Erlangen and Ingolstadt. The University of Passau is benefiting from the 50 new Bavarian AI professorships being awarded through the AI competition by receiving three of the professorships. Bavarian Science Minister Bernd Sibler visited the university today to learn about the new AI research topics being prioritised here and about how the University of Passau is being integrated into the Bavarian AI network. Emphasising the significance of these developments, he said: ‘The new AI professorship research topics are as exciting as they are important: The spectrum ranges from the research of trackable AI-based business information systems to AI engineering to artificial intelligence in criminal law. In conjunction with other higher education institutions, such as the KI Campus Ostbayern (AI Campus of East Bavaria) and the Franconian universities in and Würzburg and Bamberg, our scientists are dedicating themselves to exploring ground-breaking issues.’
The professorship ‘Trackable AI-based business information systems’ will research theories, methods and tools to determine and implement the economically reasonable degree to which AI-based services can be tracked during development, operation and maintenance. The professorship ‘AI engineering’ will focus on the interface between software engineering and artificial intelligence. The goal here is to research and develop new AI engineering methods by combining established software engineering techniques with machine learning. Finally, the professorship ‘Artificial intelligence in criminal law’ will concentrate on researching the theoretical principles and limitations of standards systems with regard to artificial intelligence.
University President Ulrich Bartosch said: ‘These three new professorships will enable the University of Passau to anchor the establishment of the interdisciplinary research topic ‘AI and sustainability’. We will take full advantage of this opportunity and help shape the future development of AI in international research. AI and sustainability are more closely connected than it may seem at first. On the one hand, sustainability means designing and using AI-based systems with sustainability in mind. On the other hand, sustainability also includes normative, sociocultural, economic and environmental conditions for the application of AI and the use of AI for the sustainable development of society. The University of Passau is in an excellent position to take this sort of approach.’ In addition, the approval of a professorship of artificial intelligence in criminal law in conjunction with the ‘KI Campus Ostbayern’, Landshut University of Applied Sciences, Deggendorf Institute of Technology, Regensburg Technical University of Applied Sciences and Amberg-Weiden Technical University of Applied Sciences will strengthen the University of Passau’s long-term efforts across the region of East Bavaria to make it one general research area that’s also visible to other regions.
HTA: 100 new professorships for the future-oriented field of AI
Research in the field of artificial intelligence is one of the topics included in the Hightech Agenda Bayern announced by Minister President Dr Markus Söder in October 2019. 50 AI professorships were made available for the specific strengthening of the AI centre in Munich and the hubs in Würzburg, Erlangen and Ingolstadt, while a further 50 were allocated in the AI competition. The aim of this is to give teaching at higher education institutions and therefore the training of urgently needed advisers and leaders throughout Bavaria a major boost, resulting in a widespread ‘anchoring’ of AI at Bavaria’s higher education institutions. Mr Sibler said: ‘By allocating a total of 100 new professorships in this future-oriented field, we are laying a foundation for Bavaria to significantly improve its visibility and competitive position as a centre of research excellence in this highly coveted market. This is also valuable in terms of reviving the economy and value chains after the coronavirus pandemic.’
Photos will be available to download free of charge from approx. 15:30 today at https://www.stmwk.bayern.de/ministerium/minister-fuer-wissenschaft-und-kunst/bilder.html.
For more information on the AI competition, please visit https://www.stmwk.bayern.de/ki-wettbewerb.