On Tuesday, February 4, 2025, IT: U Interdisciplinary Transformation University Austria continued the series of inaugural lectures by its founding professor: inside. This time, Prof. Yufang Hou, head of the research group “Natural Language Processing” and Prof. Daniel Klotz, head of “Machine Learning in Earth Science” gave insights this time. Together they designed the evening under the title “Ai-Powered Science: Transforming Knowledge and Innovation Across Disciplines”.
Linz. The way in which knowledge is processed is fundamentally changing through artificial intelligence. Tools like Chatgpt change access to information, while AI-controlled models advance scientific research. At the same time, AI plays a crucial role in coping with environmental threats. Natural disasters such as the Sturm Boris in Central Europe and the devastating forest fires in southern Europe last year made the need for better climate forecasts and environmental surveillance in real time. How can AI help? By analyzing large amounts of data, refining predictive models and enables faster decisions. IT: U is therefore intensively devoted to AI research that not only drives scientific discoveries, but also provides real solutions for global challenges.
“Artificial intelligence revolutionizes how we process knowledge and overcome global challenges. At IT: U, we therefore deal intensively with what role AI can play in science in order not only to promote scientific discoveries, but also to produce concrete solutions. Yufang Hou and Daniel Klotz impressively showed this potential in their inaugural lecture ”,
Sumidates IT: U Founding President Stefanie Lindstaedt.
AI as support in the knowledge gain
Research by IT: U Founding Professor Yufang Hou is dedicated to the development of AI models, which is intended to facilitate knowledge synthesis – i.e. the combination of different sources of information in order to gain new knowledge. At the same time, this should also ensure that researchers: inside and the general public can efficiently process, check and extract important insights from large amounts of scientific literature thanks to “fact checking”. Such technologies can do doct with clinical advances in medicine and healthcare: to keep pace with clinical advances by offering AI-controlled literature meta analyzes. “Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a multidisciplinary area, and Large Language Models (LLMS) are an example of how interdisciplinary approaches can make groundbreaking progress. With regard to the future, I believe that LLMS and other AI technologies have the potential to change scientific research ”,
So the conclusion of Professor Yufang Hou.
AI as a gamuchanger in environmental risk management
IT: U Founding Professor Daniel Klotz relies on machine learning to improve climate and environmental risk analyzes. The central question: When is how much water where? His research uses satellite images, meteorological information and data from hundreds of rivers to improve predictability of hydrological models and thus disaster prevention. “Machine learning means teaching machines, learning from data and applying this knowledge to new cases. In hydrology it is examined how water moves and distributed. In my research, I combine both fields by using machine learning for hydrological problems or using hydrological knowledge to develop machine learning ”,
Assistant Professor Daniel Klotz describes his interdisciplinary research. Important areas in which the knowledge gained is used are the AI-based analysis of data to meet better flood or storm forecasts and to create early warning systems.
The professor: inside
Die „First Lectures“
A new format – innovative, interdisciplinary and interactive, with exciting insight into the eleven research groups of IT: U, Austria’s most recent technical university, which – based on interdisciplinary research and project -based, personalized learning – dedicated and solution -oriented drives forward. All dates are over www.it-u.at as well as announced in advance on social media and invite you to participate on site and online.
Understanding Systems and Societies through Interdisciplinarity
Lecture of Tiago de Paula Peixoto (Professor of Complex Systems and Network Science) and Bernd Resch (Professor of Geosocial Artificial Intelligence))
Datum: 04.03.2025, 5:00 p.m.
Art: Lectures and discussions
Ort: Online / IT:U
Altenberger Straße 66c
4040 Linzn
Austria
Neuro-(X)AI: Illuminating the Black Box of Minds and Machines
Lecture of Jie Mei (Assistant Professor of Computational Neuroscience) and Nina Hubig (Assistant Professor of Explainable Artificial Intelligence)
Datum: 03/18/2025, 5:00 p.m.
Art: Lectures and discussions
Ort: Online / IT:U
Altenberger Straße 66c
4040 Linz
Austria
An interdisciplinary approach to social norms and practices: Theory, Work and Rules
Lecture of Sebastian Dennerlein (Assistant Professor of Digital Transformation in Learning), Christian Hilbe (Professor of Game Theory and Evolutionary Dynamics) and Ben Wagner (Professor of Human Rights and Technology)
Datum: 02.04.2025, 5:00 p.m.
Art: Lectures and discussions
Ort: Online / IT:U
Altenberger Straße 66c
4040 Linz
Austria