{"id":6338,"date":"2020-12-15T09:04:55","date_gmt":"2020-12-15T08:04:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saarland-informatics-campus.de\/piece-of-news\/how-does-artificial-intelligence-make-decisions-substantial-funding-for-interdisciplinary-research\/"},"modified":"2021-01-19T10:52:27","modified_gmt":"2021-01-19T09:52:27","slug":"how-does-artificial-intelligence-make-decisions-substantial-funding-for-interdisciplinary-research","status":"publish","type":"sic_news","link":"https:\/\/saarland-informatics-campus.de\/en\/piece-of-news\/how-does-artificial-intelligence-make-decisions-substantial-funding-for-interdisciplinary-research\/","title":{"rendered":"How does artificial intelligence make decisions? Substantial funding for interdisciplinary research"},"content":{"rendered":"

Computer science professor Holger Hermanns with Kevin Baum, computer scientist and philosopher, in a lecture hall on the campus of Saarland University (February 2019) \u00a9Iris Maurer<\/em><\/p>\n

Many computer systems today use algorithms of Artificial Intelligence. But how do these systems make decisions? And how can their behavior be explained so that we can trust them? Researchers from computer science, philosophy, psychology and law are now addressing such questions in the project \u201cExplainable Intelligent Systems (EIS)\u201d. Over the next three years the Volkswagen Foundation is funding the research project of Saarland University and TU Dortmund with around 1.5 million euros.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The interdisciplinary research team addresses different facets of the question in what ways intelligent systems and their behaviors should be explainable to meet important societal desiderata. \u201cOnly if we understand why such systems make certain decisions can we trust them and understand whether they correspond to our social, moral and legal values,\u201d says junior philosophy professor Lena K\u00e4stner from Saarland University, who leads the project. The results are expected to be a framework to guide future research and policy-making regarding intelligent systems.<\/p>\n

Intelligent systems are already part of our everyday lives. These are machines or software that support humans in making decisions or decide for them altogether. \u201cThe scope of the decisions made by artificially intelligent systems varies greatly,\u201d explains computer science professor Holger Hermanns. Some of these systems only suggest music or TV shows based on a user\u2019s previous preferences, while others decide who gets a loan, who fills a vacant job position or which way a self-driving car goes. \u201cIn order for us to trust AI systems, their decisions have to be understandable and robust in various dimensions,\u201d Hermanns continues.<\/p>\n

Researchers at Saarland University have been addressing the ethical aspects of the digital revolution since 2014. Together with computer scientist and philosopher Kevin Baum and philosopher Sarah Sterz, Holger Hermanns developed the lecture \u201cEthics for Nerds\u201d. It was offered for the first time in 2016 and was awarded the \u201cHochschulperle des Jahres 2019\u201d by the \u201cStifterverband f\u00fcr die Deutsche Wissenschaft\u201d (Donors\u2019 Association for the Promotion of Sciences and Humanities in Germany).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lecture gave rise to the idea for a project that crosses the boundaries of several disciplines,\u201d says Kevin Baum, who is doing a PhD on the ethics of collective action and machine ethics. \u201cThrough our lecture we quickly realized that explainability and understandability do seem important for a whole range of societal claims about artificial intelligence,\u201d Baum explains. \u201cBut to what extent and why does this connection between understandability and societal claims actually exist? And can the methods that the field of explainable artificial intelligence is producing even fulfill this role? If not, then what can we learn from this? We say: there is a great need for research here, which requires expertise from a wide range of disciplines.\u201d<\/p>\n

This gave rise to an interdisciplinary project that complements other highly funded research projects at Saarland University, which also explore understandable and trustworthy software: Since February 2019, \u201cExplainable Intelligent Systems\u201d has been supported by a \u201cPlanning Grant\u201d from the Volkswagen Foundation \u2013 this has now been transferred to a \u201cFull Grant\u201d which is funded with around 1.5 million euros. From Saarland University Junior Professor Lena K\u00e4stner and Professor Ulla Wessels from the Department of Philosophy, Professor Georg Borges from the Institute of Legal Informatics, psychologist Markus Langer PhD and Professor of Computer Science Holger Hermanns are involved. On the side of TU Dortmund, junior professor Eva Schmidt from the Department of Philosophy and Political Science participates in the project.<\/p>\n

Additionally, numerous international collaborations take place as part of the project. In the fall of 2019, the Saarbr\u00fccken researchers already organized a major scientific conference with a public panel discussion at the Saarbr\u00fccken St. Johann City Hall. Together with partners from Cambridge, Delft and Stanford, a whole series of such events is now being organized.The project\u2019s researchers are also networking locally and nationally. On the computer science side, for example, they cooperate closely with the transregional collaborative research center \u201cFoundations of Perspicuous Software Systems (CPEC),\u201d which is run in together with the TU Dresden and whose spokesperson is also computer science professor Holger Hermanns.<\/p>\n

\u201cArtificial intelligence now affects many areas of our daily lives and goes far beyond purely technical applications of computer science. The use of AI often involves complex questions that can only be answered in an interdisciplinary manner and in close cooperation between different scientific disciplines. This is precisely where this innovative and forward-looking research alliance comes in. I am convinced that the interdisciplinary campus of Saarland University offers the scientists involved in the project ideal conditions for this,\u201d adds University President Manfred Schmitt.<\/p>\n

Questions can be directed at:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Juniorprof. Dr. Lena K\u00e4stner
\nPhilosophisches Institut
\n0681 302 2841
\nlena.kaestner(at)uni-saarland.de<\/a><\/p>\n

Prof. Dr. Holger Hermanns
\nDependable Systems and Software
\nEmail: hermanns(at)cs.uni-saarland.de<\/a>
\nTel.: +49 (0)681 302 5630<\/p>\n

Kevin Baum
\nKevin.baum(at)uni-saarland.de<\/a>
\nTel. +49 (0)681 302-2351<\/p>\n

More Information:
\nhttps:\/\/explainable-intelligent.systems\/<\/a>
\nPress release of the Volkswagen-Foundation: https:\/\/idw-online.de\/de\/news760051<\/a><\/p>\n

Background Saarland Informatics Campus:\u2028<\/strong>
\n800 scientists and about 2000 students from more than 80 nations make the Saarland Informatics Campus (SIC) one of the leading locations for computer science in Germany and Europe. Five world-renowned research institutes, namely the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), the Max Planck Institute for Computer Science, the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems, the Center for Bioinformatics and the Cluster for \u201cMultimodal Computing and Interaction\u201d as well as Saarland University with three departments and 21 degree programs cover the entire spectrum of computer science.<\/p>\n

Editor:\u2028<\/strong>
\nPhilipp Zapf-Schramm
\nCompetence Center Computer Science
\nSaarland Informatics Campus
\nPhone: +49 681 302-70741
\nE-Mail: pzapf@mmci.uni-saarland.de<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Computer science professor Holger Hermanns with Kevin Baum, computer scientist and philosopher, in a lecture hall on the campus of Saarland University (February 2019) ©Iris Maurer Many computer systems today use algorithms of Artificial Intelligence. But how do these systems make decisions? And how can their behavior be explained so that we can trust them? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":6335,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"sic_news-types":[60],"class_list":["post-6338","sic_news","type-sic_news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","sic_news-types-uds-en"],"yoast_head":"\nHow does artificial intelligence make decisions? 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