Helmholtz AI Conference 2024: A resounding success!
The annual conference of Helmholtz AI, “Helmholtz AI Conference: AI for Science 2024”, held in Düsseldorf, was a landmark event for the Helmholtz Association and beyond in the field of artificial intelligence and its application in scientific research. Bringing together leading experts, researchers, and enthusiasts, the conference served as a dynamic platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration. Attendees had the opportunity to hear about cutting-edge AI developments and explore their applications across various scientific domains.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) solutions have been revolutionizing our world sensibly in the past few years – and are here to stay and continue doing so. Beyond optimized chatbots and spectacular generative tools, AI can provide us with something of much greater importance: the means for enhanced research, thus accelerating future discoveries in all areas of science, and serving society with unprecedented opportunities to tackle both present and future challenges. Each year, Helmholtz AI has the pleasure of holding the Helmholtz AI Conference, where top experts come and share cutting-edge advancements in AI, facilitating further integration of AI and ML within a variety of scientific fields and democratizing them.
The Helmholtz AI Conference 2024 was a resounding success, uniting about 400 AI enthusiasts and researchers from the Helmholtz Association and beyond. Held at the CCD – Congress Center Düsseldorffrom June 12th to 14th, the conference delved into a diverse range of captivating topics.
From the realm of general machine learning to the frontiers of scalability and efficiency, social and ethical dimensions, and generative AI for science, participants were treated to a stimulating series of talks. An AI consulting booth and a project call booth were available, providing valuable opportunities to explore consultancy services and learn about our annual project call (coming this September 2024). For the first time, the event also hosted industry booths, as well as Helmholtz Incubator platform booths, enriching participants’ experience further – bridging individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds.
The conference featured two keynote talks, a panel discussion, and specialized sessions such as the “Helmholtz Foundation Model Initiative.” Moreover, this year, a brand new highlight of our annual event was the pre-conference Prologue Day at Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), setting the stage for the main conference days.
The Helmholtz AI Conference 2024 boasted two distinguished keynote speakers: Kyle Cranmer, Director of the Data Science Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Smita Krishnaswamy, Associate Professor in the departments of Computer Science (SEAS) and Genetics (YSM) at YALE. Cranmer’s keynote focused on AI advances inspired by physics and their broader use, while Krishnaswamy presented tools utilized in computational neuroscience and neuroimaging.
Minister Ina Brandes' welcome note on Day 2 added a significant touch, emphasizing the regional government's support for AI in science. Her presence underscored the importance of AI advancements in North Rhine-Westphalia and set a collaborative tone for discussions.
Social events were a cornerstone of the conference, fostering networking opportunities, essential for novel research to blossom. On the first day, spontaneous and participant-driven discussions were encouraged through the second edition of our Unconference, while the World Café on the final day offered a structured environment for in-depth dialogues on various pre-determined topics. For the first time, a Project Matchmaking session was hosted, providing a unique platform for participants to find collaborators for their AI projects. Of course, an official conference dinner was held, this time at Stahlwerk, attended by the president of the Helmholtz Association, Otmar Wiestler – offering a relaxed atmosphere for informal interactions and networking.
The conference also celebrated the contributions of researchers through the poster prize awards. This year's winners included Jens Tillmann for his work on behavioral state classification with multimodal embeddings, Karel van der Weg for constructing a large foundation model for protein structures using graph neural networks, and Antony Zappacosta for using earth observation and foundation models to foster environmental safety in Ghana. The first prize, sponsored by Delta, acknowledged Tillmann's outstanding AI research.
The Helmholtz AI Conference 2024 served as a catalyst for reaching collaborative breakthroughs, forging lasting connections, and propelling the field of Al towards new frontiers of discovery. We express our deepest gratitude to our esteemed speakers, panelists, and participants for the unforgettable three days we shared together.
Special thanks to our sponsors IBM, pro-com DATA SYSTEMS, sysGen GmbH, and Delta Computer GmbH.
We eagerly anticipate your presence once again next June in Karlsruhe. Be the first to receive updates on next year’s conference by subscribing to our newsletter, as we continue our collective journey towards democratizing AI for science!