Under the motto “Level Up”, the CAIS presents the research already launched on smart cities, artificial intelligence and educational technologies and explains what the research programme “Designing Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence” planned for 2024 will look like. The CAIS is pleased to have new strong supporters: The Bergische Universität Wuppertal, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences and RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research officially joined the circle of shareholders in October 2022. With the science festival “Press Play” on 28 October 2022, the institute will show in the KoFabrik in Bochum that digitisation research can also be entertaining and invites citizens to participate.
“We had to further develop our institute during the time of the Corona pandemic and tackle new tasks – this made us feel the challenge of digitalisation in our everyday lives every day. That is why I am particularly pleased today that we are meeting here on site in the Jahrhunderthalle” opens Institute Director Prof. Dr. Michael Baurmann the evening. The state of North Rhine-Westphalia has been permanently funding the CAIS as a central institute for digitisation research since April 2021. The Minister for Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia, Ina Brandes, says: “North Rhine-Westphalia should lead the way in researching and developing important future topics such as artificial intelligence, cyber security and quantum technology. For people to be able to rely on these technologies, they must be trustworthy and meet the highest ethical standards. CAIS plays a central role in this with its interdisciplinary, networked and holistic digitalisation research: At the institute, new technologies and the question of how digitalisation affects people and society are researched at the highest level. I wish the CAIS every success in this important task. “Nathanael Liminski, Minister for Federal and European Affairs, International Affairs and Media and Head of the State Chancellery of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, also emphasises his support: “We experience every day that digitalisation is changing people’s lives. We need to recognise, understand and actively shape these changes. The CAIS is doing pioneering work in this regard and brings engineers and social scientists together at one table. Digitisation is illuminated in all its facets and developed accordingly. In this way, we will succeed in improving people’s everyday lives with the help of digitalisation.”
Research programmes at CAIS: close-up and design-oriented
For the past year, Prof. Dr. Christoph Bieber’s team has been researching digital democratic innovations and smart cities. The importance of CAIS for the city of Bochum is emphasised by mayor Thomas Eiskirch: “Research in the field of digitalisation has long since ceased to take place only in universities. The close networking of science, business and the city forms the basis for the further development of modern urban society. The CAIS strengthens Bochum as a science location, which enjoys an excellent reputation, especially in the field of digitalisation and IT security. With its successful Fellow Programme, it brings researchers from all over the world to our city. In addition, CAIS is an important partner for our planning in the area of Smart City.”
Prof. Dr. Nikol Rummel, head of the CAIS research programme “Educational Technologies and Artificial Intelligence”, which started in June 2022, will discuss how AI can be used in different educational contexts, and what is also problematic in the process. in 2024, CAIS will start a new research programme on “Designing Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence” together with the University of Wuppertal. Prof. Dr. Hanno Gottschalk arouses curiosity: “If in doubt, take a test drive in our AI simulator yourself at the festival tomorrow and experience how trustworthy you think it is.”
On 27 October, the internationally renowned brain researcher Prof. Dr. Katrin Amunts will analyse the role AI plays in brain research in her keynote speech. The evening will be accompanied by music from the DIANA AI song contest.
Science to smile about and participate in
On the following day, 28.10.2022, CAIS will host a science festival at the KoFabrik in Bochum. There will be no time for long technical discussions: the CAIS researchers invite you to take part in a digitalisation quiz, a personality test and a science slam. Young and old can experience in a playful way how learning can be done with an AI, what digital traces people leave behind or what an internet researcher writes down in her diary.
The CAIS welcomes new shareholders
In October 2022, the Bergische Universität Wuppertal, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, and RWI- Leibniz Institute for Economic Research signed the declaration of accession. They complement and strengthen the renowned group of sponsors, which already consisted of the Ruhr University Bochum, the University of Duisburg-Essen, the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, the Westphalian Wilhelms University Münster and the Grimme Institute in Marl.
About CAIS
The state of North Rhine-Westphalia has been permanently funding the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) as a central institute for digitalisation research since April 2021. By proposing evidence-based solutions, the CAIS contributes to shaping the digital transformation in the interest of the people. The CAIS was founded as a research college at the beginning of 2017 and has since been awarding fellowships to national and international guest researchers in the field of digitisation research. The CAIS is supported by the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, the University of Duisburg-Essen, the Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, the Bergische Universität Wuppertal, the GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, the RWI- Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Grimme Institute in Marl.