Great interest in BilAI Kick-off event
27.02.2025
Around 300 researchers, industry representatives and decision-makers from business and politics came together at the BilAI Kick-off event on 26 February in Kepler Hall on the JKU campus to discuss the vision and goals of the project.
Top AI researchers from all over Austria are working on a new AI level, a so-called ‘Broad AI’, in the FWF Cluster ‘Bilateral AI’. The ‘Bilateral AI’ project, which was awarded the FWF Cluster of Excellence, aims to take AI to the next level by bringing together two of the most important approaches in AI research: symbolic AI, which works with clearly defined logical rules, and sub-symbolic AI, which is based on machine learning. This integration should enable a more comprehensive and adaptable AI (‘Broad AI’) that is able to abstract knowledge and apply it to complex problems.
In practice, this means that ‘Broad AI’ can, for example, intelligently regulate power grids, optimise climate models and make healthcare processes more efficient. This is not just about data processing, but about a profound understanding of interrelationships and interactions.
Broad AI through Bilateral AI
Austria has globally recognised experts in both fields - symbolic and sub-symbolic AI. BilAI is a unique opportunity to bring them together.
Prof Dr Sepp Hochreiter (JKU, head of the cluster): ‘AI systems are already omnipresent in our everyday lives. They are excellently suited to their specific tasks - but they can no longer solve problems if the environment changes slightly or exceptional cases occur. Examples can be found in medicine, climate change and energy supply. Our vision of ‘Broad AI’ is more general and works in the event of changes or exceptions, and is therefore a completely new level of artificial intelligence. To achieve this vision, we are pooling the entire expertise of Austrian AI research. We have a very ambitious goal in the interests of people and for the benefit of our society.’
