Leading American researcher and DKK 350 million will take Danish artificial intelligence research to new heights

The University of Copenhagen observatory on Østervold in the center of Copenhagen was once used to look for new stars and planets in the night sky. But by the end of this year, the building will be purposed for high-tech achievements, as home to the first Danish pioneer centre for artificial intelligence research.

With DKK 352,4 million (approx. €47 million) of funding from the Danish National Research Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Carlsberg Foundation, the Villum Foundation, and the Lundbeck Foundation, as well as participation from Aalborg University, Aarhus University, DTU, the IT University and the University of Copenhagen, it is the most ambitious investment in artificial intelligence research ever on Danish soil.

"I am both happy and proud that the University of Copenhagen will host the pioneer centre. It is a unique collaboration among foundations, universities, public institutions, and companies who will unite forces to do research in one of the greatest technologies of our time, one that has the potential to solve a wide range of societal challenges," says Katrine Krogh Andersen, Dean of the University of Copenhagen’s Faculty of Science.   

Predicting diseases and climate change
The center will be headed by the University of Copenhagen, rooted in the Department of Computer Science (DIKU), and one of the field’s leading researchers, Serge Belongie, an American who is currently serving as a professor and vice dean at Cornell Tech in the United States. He will be appointed full professor at DIKU.  

"Denmark has fantastically well-organized data collection across public institutions that one would never come across in the United States. Data that makes it possible to harness the possibilities of artificial intelligence and, for example, predict the earlier stages of breast cancer, monitor endangered species or make urban planning smarter," states Professor Serge Belongie, the pioneer center’s future director.  

Predicting and preventing diseases, monitoring climate change and biodiversity, as well as energy and infrastructure, are three out of a total of 10 significant societal challenges that the pioneer center’s research will be centered around.

Each of the ten focal areas will be approached by top researchers who, in collaboration with companies and public institutions, will use artificial intelligence over five to seven years to solve a wide range of societal challenges through research, innovation, and spin-out companies. 

A new Danish brand 
In addition to the "hard" disciplines within artificial intelligence, such as virtual reality, machine learning and deep learning, the pioneer center will also work extensively on the ethical aspects of AI and how to design technologies built on artificial intelligence in such a way that they are accepted and understood by those who need them.

"The initial hype over what AI can accomplish using large amounts of data and advanced algorithms is beginning to subside. Now, it must also be possible to explain how artificial intelligence arrives at its predictions, so that it is no longer a mystery which no one fully understands, but one which we can use to base a substantial number of important decisions," says Belongie.

Among other things, he highlights LEGO, Danish design and architecture as examples of a well-developed socio-technical landscape in Denmark and an expression of a culture where people and technology work together. It is a culture that Belongie would like to add something hyper modern to. 

"If we truly succeed with our main objectives, then there will be a whole brand around artificial intelligence and Denmark, as the rest of the world has observed in relation to furniture design, architecture and so on," concludes Serge Belongie.

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