The future of artificial intelligence

Yet the gap between vision and reality is not a new phenomenon: AI is a field of great promise – and equally great misunderstandings. These systems process language, generate images, recognise patterns and make decisions – nothing more. And yet we persist in describing them in terms that are actually reserved for humans: AI ‘thinks’, it ‘understands’, it ‘acts’. Let’s take a look at this pull between two worlds: what would it mean if machines were truly intelligent? Is pattern recognition sufficient, or does intelligence require a body, experience and a connection to the world, as the Embodied AI approach suggests? And are neurosymbolic approaches the next step?

This conversation, which marks the start of the events within the thematic focus ‘On/Off Relationship’, is not only about the systems themselves. Equally relevant is the language we use to talk about them: when we attribute profoundly human characteristics to machines, this also changes the way we see ourselves. And last but not least, it’s also about asking who stands to benefit from particular visions of AI’s future – and who is shaping them?

Guests

• Fritz Espenlaub, journalist and host of the podcasts “Der KI-Podcast” (ARD) and “Die OpenAI Story” (DLF). He focuses on artificial intelligence, deep tech and the implications of current developments for society and the economy. “Der KI-Podcast” is currently one of the most listened-to and highest-rated science podcasts on Spotify. 
• Prof. Dr Dr habil. Raúl Rojas, Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at the Free University of Berlin (FU Berlin). Since the 1990s, he has been working on neural networks, machine learning and robotics: the vehicles from the FU laboratory are authorised for autonomous driving in Germany, and his football-playing robots have achieved international success. 
• Marc Frings, Secretary-General of the Zentralkomitees der deutschen Katholiken (ZdK). As a political scientist working for the ZdK, he is examining Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, "Magnifica humanitas", which deals with the protection of human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence.

Moderator

• Geraldine de Bastion, founder of the "Global Innovation Gathering". An expert in digital transformation, she connects grassroots innovators worldwide and champions the scaling of open-source solutions. She has been a long-standing member of the re:publica team.

Information

• Venue: Exhibition
• The event is free of charge.
• A ticket is required. 
• Event language: German, German Sign Language, AI translation into English
• The event will be recorded and will be available as a video on our YouTube channel afterwards.

Accessibility

• We are a wheelchair accessible venue.
• Spaces without seating are available for wheelchair users.
• The event addresses interested people of all ages.
• Interested visitors of all ages are welcome. We recommend participation for those aged 16 or over.
• Participation requirements: no prior knowledge required
• Drinks and food are available for purchase.

The future is for everyone! The Futurium wants to be accessible to everyone. If there are any other access needs on your part, please feel free to let us know. We will try to meet them: info@futurium.de

All information on accessibility can be found here.

Photo & Video

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Tickets

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