New community to strengthen AI research across Aarhus University
From cancer treatment and culture to digital technologies and industry. AI plays a role in a wide range of fields at Aarhus University. A new AU AI Research Community aims to build stronger connections between researchers. On Tuesday, 11 August, the community was officially launched at AU Herning.
How can AI and medical imaging data be used to provide cancer patients with more personalised radiotherapy? How can AI help us understand patterns and developments in culture and society? And how can AI, data and digital technologies be used in manufacturing?
These are three very different examples of the AI research being carried out at Aarhus University.
On Tuesday, 11 August, AI researchers from across the university gathered at AU Herning for the launch of the new AU AI Research Community. The community was established by the university leadership to strengthen the focus on AI in research and create better opportunities for collaboration across Aarhus University.
Different disciplines, shared questions
Although a cancer researcher, a cultural researcher and a technology researcher use AI for very different purposes, they also encounter some of the same questions along the way.
Access to data. Computing power and research infrastructure. New methods and tools. And how AI is developed and used responsibly in research.
These are some of the areas where the new AU AI Research Community aims to build stronger connections.
Mirko Presser, Professor at AU Herning and a member of the steering group for the new community, sees great potential in bringing researchers from different disciplines closer together.
“AI is developing incredibly quickly, and none of us can keep up with everything within our own fields while also knowing what is happening elsewhere. We work with different questions, but we may need the same methods, data or technologies. There is therefore a great deal to be gained from getting to know each other and sharing experiences across disciplines,” says Mirko Presser.
AU Herning brings strong links with industry
The launch also gave participants an opportunity to learn more about the research into AI and digital technologies being carried out at AU Herning. As part of the programme for the day, participants visited laboratories on campus, where researchers work with technologies such as robotics and extended reality.
AU Herning also brings many years of experience in applied research and research collaborations with companies, including in the manufacturing sector.
“At AU Herning, we have a strong tradition of developing new knowledge together with companies. This gives us a perspective on AI that is not only focused on what the technology can do, but also on the challenges it can help address. This is a perspective we can bring to the university-wide AI community,” says Mirko Presser.
The launch was the first step in the work of the new AU AI Research Community. During the day, researchers identified needs and topics for the community to take forward.