The 10th edition of the Autumn Forum took place on 17 December – a dual observance considering the 40th anniversary of INESC in Porto. Two major milestones called for a special event, and that is exactly what happened: from the choice of venue – Casa da Música – to the ambition of the theme, in which we set out to look at AI from a human perspective (or the human being in an age of AI, hence the title Being Human in the Age of AI); to hosting two internationally renowned speakers, Marzieh Fadaee and Gitta Kutyniok, and, finally, a discussion panel featuring well-known Portuguese experts in AI – Arlindo Oliveira, Mário Figueiredo and José Príncipe – as well as two highly respected scientists from the social sciences: Sofia Miguens, philosopher, and Mário Boto Ferreira, psychologist.
Expectations were high, and we succeeded in attracting an audience of more than 500 people, from many places and scientific areas – who, I am sure, did not leave disappointed.
Marzieh Fadaee, CEO of Cohere Labs, presented the session Building human-centric models from global voices, addressing the need to include people from across the world (linguistically, culturally and socially) in the development of new models to avoid bias in AI training data. This is an aspect that places the human being at the centre of this question.
Gitta Kutyniok, Professor at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, presented The Next Generation of AI: Sustainable, Reliable, and Trustworthy, emphasising the importance of a solid mathematical foundation. She also expressed concerns about the energy consumption of AI systems and suggested that alternative computing paradigms should be explored.
The panel addressed AI from the perspective its prevalence in today’s world, creating vast opportunities but simultaneously raising difficulties and concerns we must face, both as citizens and as academics and researchers. The discussion also highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary dialogue, since in this field (perhaps more than in any other) technology, philosophy and psychology benefit greatly from said close interaction.
The debate was moderated by Rodrigo Pratas, a journalist from SIC, who led the session professionally and enthusiastically, ensuring a smooth and engaging discussion.
Before closing the event, the Minister for Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, delivered a speech emphasising the need to increase funding for science, research and education, taking the opportunity to present and justify the reforms being implemented within his Ministry.
After 10 editions of the INESC TEC Autumn Forum, we believe it is time to reflect on things: with the exception of the first (held to celebrate the 30th anniversary of INESC in Porto, with a comprehensive scope), all the following editions focused on specific areas in which we have an active presence, and in which we sought to encourage society to reflect on and discuss important issues – both from a technical and scientific perspective and in terms of their social and economic impact. We have addressed the Factories of the Future, Ocean Engineering, the Relationship between Companies and Digitalisation, the Digital Revolution in Agro-food and Forestry, AI in Health, the Acceleration of Decarbonisation in the Economy and, last year, Critical infrastructures: Security and Resilience.
Until this year, these nine events consistently attracted a diverse and engaged audience. However, from several perspectives, we consider that this year’s Forum had a particularly significant impact, fulfilling part of our mission as an Associated Laboratory and strengthening our institutional presence in society.
But this larger and more complex Forum was only possible thanks to the valuable contribution of the team responsible for organising the 40th anniversary celebrations, the unwavering support of the INESC TEC Board of Directors -particularly the Chairman – and, finally, the work of the entire INESC TEC “machine”, whose exceptional professionalism and dedication ensure that everything runs smoothly and on time.
Pedro Guedes de Oliveira, Executive Member of the Board of INESC
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