idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft
Rapid developments in AI are leading to profound changes in research and development as well as in society and everyday life. Machines now analyse huge amounts of data, and assist with image and text creation, medical diagnoses, and decision-making processes. This year’s Annual Assembly of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina focuses on the opportunities and risks associated with these developments. In Halle (Saale)/Germany on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 September, international experts will discuss the progress that artificial intelligence has made, the ways in which various AI applications are revolutionising research, and the resulting challenges facing society
Leopoldina Annual Assembly 2025
“Artificial Intelligence”
Thursday 25 and Friday 26 September 2025
Leopoldina Main Building
Jägerberg 1, 06108 Halle (Saale) and online
Leopoldina President Professor Dr Bettina Rockenbach will open the main programme in the Ceremonial Hall at 2 p.m. Dr Lydia Hüskens, Deputy Minister President and Minister for Infrastructure and Digital Affairs of the State of Saxony-Anhalt, and Rolf-Dieter Jungk, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), will give welcoming addresses.
As part of the opening ceremony, Professor Dr Zeynep Akata will receive the “ZukunftsWissen – the Early Career Award from the Leopoldina and Commerzbank Foundation”. On Friday, Akata will give a lecture on her research activities. Information on the award winner and her research into explainable AI is available here: https://www.leopoldina.org/en/press-1/news/2025-zukunftswissen-prize-for-compute...
In addition, the Cothenius Medal 2025 will be awarded to Leopoldina Member Professor Dr Kai Simons for his lifetime’s work in science. The biochemist has studied the function and organisation of cell membranes and done pioneering work for the understanding of the interaction between viruses and host cells.
At 4:30 p.m., the portrait of the former President Professor (ETHZ) Dr Gerald Haug will be unveiled. Haug was President of the academy from 2020 to 2025. The portrait is the work of Leipzig artist Hans Aichinger and will be added to the Presidents’ Gallery in the Leopoldina main building. Haug and Aichinger will attend the unveiling.
In her keynote lecture at 5 p.m., Dr Cordelia Schmid will discuss the past, present, and future of artificial intelligence. The Research Director at the National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology (INRIA) in Grenoble/France is a leading researcher in computer vision and has taught computers how to “see”.
At 6 p.m., Cordelia Schmid will join the innovation researcher Professor Dietmar Harhoff, PhD, the computer scientist Professor Dr Niki Kilbertus, and the mathematician Professor Dr Nadja Klein for a panel discussion on the topic of “Artificial intelligence in the services of humans – (How) can we achieve this?”. The science journalist Christoph Drösser will moderate the discussion.
In the Friday sessions, experts from the natural and social sciences and the humanities will give lectures on the latest developments in AI research, its use in research, and the effects on society. For example, the electrical engineer and computer scientist Professor Dr Sami Haddadin will discuss robotics. The meteorologist Professor Dr Susanne Crewell will show how AI can help improve both weather forecasts and overall understanding of changes to the climate. The bioinformatics expert Dr Alex Bateman will discuss the major opportunities that ground-breaking developments such as AlphaFold offer biochemistry research. In addition to perspectives from the natural and technological sciences, experts from the social sciences and humanities will also reflect on the topic. The philosopher Professor Dr Judith Simon will discuss ethical questions and trustworthy AI. The sociologist Dr Philipp Lorenz-Spreen will focus on the complex interplay between AI, social media, and democracy.
The mathematician and computer scientist Professor Dr Thomas Lengauer and the physicist and computer scientist Professor Dr Klaus-Robert Müller are responsible for the scientific coordination of the 2025 Annual Assembly. They discuss preparations for the event in an interview on the Leopoldina website: https://www.leopoldina.org/en/press/newsletter/interview-thomas-lengauer-and-kla...
The event is open to all interested parties, is free, and will also be broadcast online. The lectures are held in either English or German and simultaneously translated into the other language. Information about the livestream and the programme are available here: https://www.leopoldina.org/en//annual-assembly-2025
Journalists, who would like to attend, should register by email at presse@leopoldina.org. Interviews with the speakers can be organised.
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About the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina:
As the German National Academy of Sciences, the Leopoldina provides independent science-based policy advice on matters relevant to society. To this end, the Academy develops interdisciplinary statements based on scientific findings. In these publications, options for action are outlined; making decisions, however, is the responsibility of democratically legitimized politicians. The experts who prepare the statements work in a voluntary and unbiased manner. The Leopoldina represents the German scientific community in the international academy dialogue. This includes advising the annual summits of Heads of State and Government of the G7 and G20 countries. With around 1,700 members from more than 30 countries, the Leopoldina combines expertise from almost all research areas. Founded in 1652, it was appointed the National Academy of Sciences of Germany in 2008. The Leopoldina is committed to the common good.
Media Contact:
Julia Klabuhn
Acting Head of the Press and Public Relations Department
Tel: +49 (0)345 472 39-800
Email: presse@leopoldina.org
https://www.leopoldina.org/en/leopoldina-home/
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