New AI Center Opened to Make Dresden a Leading Research Location

A collaborative research center for artificial intelligence (AI), the “Center for Explainable and Efficient AI Technologies (CEE-AI)” was set up by TU Dresden and the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft on February 11^th, 2019. The goal is to link famous scientists with users from the industry and to advance Dresden into a top location in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).

TUD Rector, Prof. Hans Müller-Steinhagen, emphasizes the strategic importance of the new center: “With the founding of the centre, TU Dresden and Fraunhofer are creating the prerequisites to make Dresden even more interesting as a location for large AI projects and to recruit and retain the brightest minds in AI research worldwide.”

“Artificial intelligence—if used responsibly—can help solve the biggest problems of humankind”, says Prof. Frank Fitzek, Head of the Deutsche Telekom Chair for Communication Networks at TU Dresden. Prof. Fitzek and his colleague Prof. Jens Lehmann from the Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems (IAIS) are the scientific directors of the new research center.

Nowadays, artificial intelligence is an important economic factor and innovation driver. The CEE-AI will contribute to training experts in artificial intelligence. We are developing pioneering technologies for a wide range of applications and are securing jobs in the process. Last but not least, it is also a matter of safeguarding the digital independence of Germany and Europe by bundling competencies and advancing our own innovations.

Prof. Frank Fitzek, Head of the Deutsche Telekom Chair for Communication Networks, TU Dresden.

AI can already be seen in everyday lives: from voice control of devices, internet search engines, to social media bots. In the near future, AI scientists will develop the right preconditions for innumerable other innovations. AI systems, for instance, could widely enhance medical care coverage in a short period of time. They are able to compare patient data globally with that of numerous other patients, current research results, and therapy reports in a very span of time. AI can thus assist physicians in making precise diagnoses and locating ideal therapies.

Since AI is increasingly being used, the issue of how to address the massive amount of data also comes up. At the moment, they are frequently stored on massive cloud servers abroad. However, AI technologies such as intelligent household appliances or autonomous driving necessitate on-site computing power so as to enable a safe and efficient partnership between man and machine. “Small data” is another crucial topic that researchers at the CEE-AI want to look into.

Research at the new center will include the whole spectrum from hardware support and device communication to AI methods and transfer into practice. As the name indicates, a special emphasis will be on “explainable” and “efficient” AI technologies.  They should be engineered in such a way that users can comprehend their practicalities. “In all developments, we have to include humans”, states Frank Fitzek. The term “efficiency” denotes, on the one hand, to energy efficiency but also to efficient collaboration between man and machine. For this effort, the Dresden science hub provides ideal conditions with its robust competencies in the fields of psychology, communications technology, microelectronics, and social sciences.

The CEE-AI will primarily manage current AI research institutions and industrial partners as a virtual research center. In the days ahead, new staff and own facilities will be added.