Six early-career researchers took the stage to demonstrate how AI is tackling some of the greatest challenges of our time – all in a way that made the audience both think and laugh.
Stefanie Urchs – 'Who is Equal in the Eyes of AI?
Stefanie Urchs from Hochschule München & LMU dove straight into the heart of current AI debates with her topic: gender bias in language models. Her research is far from abstract – it highlights how the ways we describe people in text embed deeply rooted biases into AI systems. Her talk was both an eye-opener and a reminder that AI is only as fair as the data it’s trained on. Stefanie’s closing thought: 'If we can identify the biases in our language, we can also fight discrimination in AI.' Her compelling presentation captivated the audience – and earned her the Science Slam victory.
Leon Vogel – AI Meets the Production Floor
Anyone who thought AI was only for labs and computers was proven wrong by Leon Vogel. The master’s student from Hochschule Bielefeld brought a fresh perspective with an unexpected analogy: he compared his reinforcement learning system to a chicken trained through rewards to find the right point in the production process. Sounds funny? It was – but behind the humor lies a vision of how AI can make complex production workflows more human-centered and efficient. Leon’s goal: to design production processes that distribute workloads more evenly, preventing worker burnout. The fact that his research also boosts efficiency was the cherry on top. The audience laughed – and came away with a clear understanding of the importance of such applications for the industries of tomorrow.
Parastoo Semnani – Sustainability Meets AI
From humor to urgency: Parastoo Semnani from TU Berlin presented a research project with the potential to make a real difference – for the environment. Her goal: to reduce CO2 emissions in experiments. How? Through machine learning. Her approach optimizes the search for new materials, saves resources, and demonstrates how AI can help shrink the ecological footprint in science. Parastoo’s work is a shining example of how AI can not only become smarter but also greener – a topic that couldn’t be more relevant in the face of climate change.
Dilem Kaya – AI for Health, but Human-Centered (A Science Slammer from Women in AI)
Dilem Kaya, a master’s student at the Hasso Plattner Institute, brought the audience back to one of the most fundamental questions in AI: trust. Her research focuses on designing autonomous decision-making systems in healthcare that are not only data-driven but also human-centered. For Dilem, it’s clear: AI shouldn’t simply make decisions – it should support humans by informing and empowering them to make the right choices. What’s particularly exciting is that her approach promises to improve healthcare delivery without excluding humans from the process.
The AI Grid Science Slam showcased the diversity and power of AI applications. Whether tackling biases, optimizing production processes, or searching for more sustainable methods – the six slammers impressively demonstrated that AI is more than just technology. It is an opportunity to make our world fairer, more efficient, and more sustainable.
A big thank you to all participants:
- Stefanie Urchs (Hochschule München & LMU)
- Leon Vogel (Hochschule Bielefeld)
- Parastoo Semnani (TU Berlin)
- Dilem Kaya, Sylwia Olbrych und Shiva Banasaz Nouri (Women in AI)