Computer Scientists, AI experts, academics and students unite! If you’re interested in all things AI, then you need to sign up and join Starttech Ventures at the Technical University of Crete from July 1-5, for ACAI 2019.
Why? Well, apart from the legendary Cretan hospitality, the reason is ACAI 2019, also known as Advanced Courses on Artificial Intelligence! We are proud sponsors of this excellent initiative which aims to cultivate up and coming AI scientists.
There’s no getting away from it. AI is the darling of Silicon Valley and for many the future is now. AI startups for example are popping up everywhere, while some of the tech world’s biggest players such as Google, Amazon and Microsoft are investing heavily in it. We are living in truly amazing times where AI is concerned.
You can sign up here to join in and learn from some of the Europe’s leading figures in the AI field.
ACAI 2019 – What’s it all about?
But first, what is ACAI 2019? Basically, in an effort to promote the study, research and application of Artificial Intelligence in Europe, the European Association for Artificial Intelligence (EurAI) organizes ACAI at least once every second year. The courses are not just exclusively for AI research groups, they also aim to set the ground for the next generations of AI specialists.
This summer, lucky for us (and by that I mean Greeks and anyone living here), the EurAI has set up the Hellenic Artificial Intelligence Summer School in Chania, Crete. Twenty-five exceptional guest speakers, all of them prominent researchers from well-known universities from all over the world, will be here to offer a series of courses. All for the Greek Computer Science community, as well as anyone interested in AI trends.
That’s right, a whole week devoted to AI and one parallel co-located event, Twenty Years of the Price of Anarchy, with free access for all ACAI 2019 participants. The“price of anarchy” is a celebrated result in the field of algorithmic game theory, attempting to measure the cost of computing solutions in a decentralized fashion by self-interested agents (and a result that was awarded the Gödel Prize, the top award in theoretical computer science).
Organizing committee
The main protagonists behind the initiative are two Greek scientists, Georgios Chalkiadakis and Nikos Spanoudakis. Georgios is an Associate Professor at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Technical University of Crete(and Deputy Chair of the European Association for Multi-Agent Systems – EURAMAS), while Nikos is a researcher at the School of Production Engineeringand Management at the Technical University of Crete (and also a member of the board of the Hellenic AI Society – EETN).
AI today
So where are we today as far as AI goes? According to Georgios Chalkiadakis, AI is no longer only a pioneering vision of the scientific community. AI is already in play in many aspects of our daily life. Face recognition, smart devices and smart systems, enhanced user experience in gaming, autonomous cars, and recommendation systems of any kind; these are all forms of AI applications that we have already at our disposal today.
The future of AI
What is to come, then? AI will make our lives better in many ways (or worse, depending who you talk to). Among other things Georgios says, is that AI will help us with the management and coordination of small and large scale renewable resources infrastructures. Support for elderly and neurological disabled patients is also a key area, as well as the creation of the Smart Electricity Grid, and revitalization of telecommunications with smart and self-optimizing networks. Other, less “prominent” areas of AI applications, yet important for the hospitality industry and, of course, culture, is the analysis of archaeological data and the creation of educational systems within museums. Oh yes, there is also self-driving cars – but that’s basically a done deal already! What about creating the technology for shared rides in self-driving air-taxis running on renewable energy sources?
Exciting times indeed! So come and be a part of it at ACAI 2019!
What to expect
At Starttech, although we don’t have any AI startups among our portfolio companies (yet), we are huge fans of the AI movement. That is why we are sponsoring this event. As part of our #ScaleUpGreece initiative, we actively support initiatives that support the Greek startup community, promote entrepreneurship and those that push things forward related to computer science in general.
That’s why we wanted to be part of this event and keep up with forthcoming changes in computer science. What’s more, apart from our contribution as sponsors to support this amazing event, a small group of our team will also be there to take part and get the inside track on AI concepts and key knowledge transferring. And we also think back to school is cool. 🙂
From trends to ethics
The “curriculum” of the courses will be broad enough in a way to offer a general introduction to each topic. But, there will also be an in depth presentation of more specialized ones. So this ACAI 2019 event is a great opportunity for anyone interested in the evolution of AI. Here are some of the topics:
- Trends in AI
- Ethics in AI
- AI and Social Justice
- Intelligent Production
- Human robot interaction to user experience and beyond
- AI for games
- Quantum Algorithms
You can see the whole the schedule here.
Don’t miss it – be there!
All that’s left to say is this: don’t miss it! Join us at the Technical University of Crete in Chania from July 1-5 July, 2019.
