Der Bundeswettbewerb KI unter der Schirmherrschaft des Ministerpräsidenten des Landes Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, geht in eine neue Runde. Auf der Website wird mit den Worten geworben: „Eure Ideen sind gefragt! Verändert die Welt mit Künstlicher Intelligenz und entwickelt euer eigenes KI-Projekt. Setzt eure Idee um und nutzt dazu die Methoden des maschinellen Lernens. Lasst euch von den Projekten aus dem Vorjahr inspirieren.“ (Website BWKI) Der Wettbewerb richtet sich nach den Angaben der Initiatoren und Organisatoren an Schüler und Schülerinnen weiterführender Schulen. Eine Teilnahme im ersten Jahr nach dem Schulabschluss sei ebenfalls möglich. Auf Instagram stehen Materialien und Interviews zu interessanten Themen und Disziplinen zur Verfügung. Dazu gehört die Tier-Maschine-Interaktion (mitsamt Ansätzen der Maschinenethik), die von Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel erklärt wird, etwa in den Beiträgen „Wie sollen sich Maschinen gegenüber Tieren verhalten“ (14. März 2024), „Können Tiere und Maschinen Freunde werden?“ (17. März 2024) und „Schützt KI Igel vor dem Rasenmähertod?“ (21. März 2024). Im Teaser der Website heißt es: „Meldet euch, euer Team und eure Idee bis zum 2. Juni 2024 an. Euer Projekt könnt ihr dann bis zum 15. September 2024 fertigstellen. Wer ist dabei?“ (Website BWKI) Weitere Informationen über www.bw-ki.de.
Abb.: Eine mögliche Perspektive ist die Tier-Maschine-Interaktion (Bild: DALL-E 3)
„In Gaza und in der Ukraine werden ethisch umstrittene ‚High-Tech-Hunde‘ und andere autonome Waffen eingesetzt: Sie töten emotionslos, chirurgisch und ‚kostengünstiger‘. Das ist weder moralisch, noch völkerrechtlich vertretbar.“ (Die Furche, 3. April 2024) Mit diesen Worten beginnt ein Artikel von Adrian Lobe, der am 3. April 2024 in der österreichischen Wochenzeitung Die Furche veröffentlicht wurde. Zu Wort kommt Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel, der sich wiederholt mit autonomen Waffensystemen beschäftigt hat. Im Jahre 2016 diskutierte er auf einem Panel in Krakau u.a. mit Ronald C. Arkin, der im Auftrag des Pentagon militärische Roboter mit einem künstlichen Gewissen ausgerüstet hat, wobei es bei Prototypen geblieben ist. Beide sind im Bereich der Maschinenethik tätig, haben aber z.T. ganz unterschiedliche Positionen. Oliver Bendel betreibt keine militärische Forschung und lehnt den Einsatz autonomer Kampfroboter ab. Er weist immer wieder darauf hin, dass auch Maschinen, die zu zivilen Zwecken entwickelt wurden, zu militärischen genutzt werden können, so wie es bereits der Fall bei Unitree Go1 und Go2 war, die in diesen Fällen ferngesteuert wurden – ihn stört daran nicht nur der Waffeneinsatz an sich, sondern auch, dass man die Akzeptanz gegenüber hilfreichen und sinnvollen Servicerobotern gefährdet. Der Artikel kann über www.furche.at abgerufen werden.
From March 25 to 27, 2024, the AAAI Spring Symposium Series took place at Stanford University. One of the events was dedicated to the question of how generative AI can improve well-being. What do you do after such an AI conference? One option is to go to San Francisco. It is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Another option is to head south. Not only San Diego is located there, but also Los Angeles. The Griffith Observatory is located in Griffith Park at an altitude of 300 metres. Visitors have a view over the whole of Los Angeles and the surrounding area, from Downtown to Santa Monica and Malibu. The observatory is known for its scientific exhibitions and planetarium. The 190-seat Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Presentation Theater, built at the turn of the millennium, expands the Observatory’s programming and educational opportunities. Numerous scenes from well-known films and series were shot in and around the building, including „Flash Gordon“ (1936), „Rebel Without a Cause„ (1955), „Terminator“ (1984), „Transformers“ (2007), and „La La Land“ (2017).
Fig.: View from Griffith Observatory in April 2024
From March 25 to 27, 2024, the AAAI Spring Symposium Series took place at Stanford University. One of the events was dedicated to the question of how generative AI can improve well-being. What do you do after such an AI conference? One option is to go to San Francisco. It is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Another option is to head south. Not only San Diego is located there, but also Los Angeles. There – in Downtown, to be exact – is the Broad Museum, which has a unique collection of modern art, with works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Takashi Murakami, to name but a few. Those who managed to get one of the free tickets were able to visit the „Infinity Mirrored Room – The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away (2013)“ by Yayoi Kusama. A maximum of four people are allowed to stay on the ramp and immerse themselves in the sea of lights.
Fig.: The „Infinity Mirrored Room“ by Yayoi Kusama
From March 25 to 27, 2024, the AAAI Spring Symposium Series took place at Stanford University. One of the events was dedicated to the question of how generative AI can improve well-being. What do you do after such an AI conference? One option is to go to San Francisco. It is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Another option is to head south. Not only San Diego is located there, but also Los Angeles. There – more precisely in Brentwood – is the Getty Center, which has a great collection, but also impresses with its building and grounds. You should also definitely visit the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades. The building, which is modeled on the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum, houses a remarkable collection of genuine antique sculptures and everyday objects. There are copies in the outdoor areas – here it is the water basins and fountains that are enchanting.
From March 25 to 27, 2024, the AAAI Spring Symposium Series took place at Stanford University. One of the events was dedicated to the question of how generative AI can improve well-being. What do you do after such an AI conference? One option is to go to San Francisco. It is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Another option is to head south. Not only Los Angeles is located there, but also San Diego. From there you can go on whale-watching tours. February to April are particularly suitable for this. With a bit of luck, you can see humpback whales and gray whales, dolphins and sea lions. Seagulls and pelicans are always present. The whales are not detected using sonar or radar, nor with the help of transmitters attached to them. Instead, they are searched for the „footprint“ they leave behind. This is a smooth, glassy circle that is a result of the animal’s forward movement. With dolphins, there is nothing to do. They come to the boats of their own accord and swim competitively with them.
From March 25 to 27, 2024, the AAAI Spring Symposium Series took place at Stanford University. One of the events was dedicated to the question of how generative AI can improve well-being. What do you do after such an AI conference? One option is to go to San Francisco. It is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Another option is to head south. Not only Los Angeles is located there, but also San Diego. The Balboa Park, which has existed since 1868, is well worth a visit. The Panama-California Exposition of 1910-1916 provided the decisive boost. A fantasy city with richly decorated buildings was created. At the Japanese Friendship Garden, hummingbirds can often be seen flitting back and forth between the trees. San Diego also has beautiful beaches to offer. However, the water is sometimes heavily polluted, so swimming is prohibited – this was also the case in spring 2024.
From March 25 to 27, 2024, the AAAI Spring Symposium Series took place at Stanford University. One of the events was dedicated to the question of how generative AI can improve well-being. What do you do after such an AI conference? One option is to go to San Francisco. It is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Another option is to head south-east. Not only Death Valley and the Mojave Desert are located there, but also cities such as Palm Springs. There you can chill by the pool in one of the many historic hotels or visit the Palm Springs Art Museum. In front of it stands „Forever Marilyn“, a statue created by the sculptor John Seward Johnson II. Those who are drawn to the great outdoors should definitely visit the Indian Canyons. In the 15-mile-long Palm Canyon, there are countless palm trees along a stream that carried a lot of water in the spring of 2024 and led to some flooding on the paths.
Fig.: The Palm Canyon is a part of the Indian Canyons
From March 25 to 27, 2024, the AAAI Spring Symposium Series took place at Stanford University. One of the events was dedicated to the question of how generative AI can improve individual and social well-being. What do you do after such an AI conference? One option is to go to San Francisco. It is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Another option is to head south-east. Not only is Death Valley located there, but also the Mojave Desert. It boasts an attraction, the Kelso Dunes. This is the largest field of aeolian sand deposits in the Mojave Desert. You could just as easily be in the north of Fuerteventura or the south of Gran Canaria. If you continue in the direction of Palm Springs, with a bit of luck you can marvel at another attraction: in some places you can see a Fata Morgana.
Fig.: A Fata Morgana in the Mojave Desert in spring 2024
From March 25 to 27, 2024, the AAAI Spring Symposium Series took place at Stanford University. One of the events was dedicated to the question of how generative AI can improve well-being. What do you do after such an AI conference? One option is to go to San Francisco. It is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Another option is to head south-east. There you will find one of the most beautiful national parks in the United States, Death Valley. Karl May readers will be familiar with it from the novel „Im Tal des Todes“. In spring 2024, it was home to a natural spectacle. In Badwater Basin, where a layer of salt normally covers the ground, a shallow lake – also known as Lake Manly – had formed. Many visitors waded through it and it looked as if they were walking on water. In addition to the famous sights such as Zabriskie Point, Artist’s Palette and Dante’s View, Golden Canyon is recommended, especially in the hours before sunset.
From March 25 to 27, 2024, the AAAI Spring Symposium Series took place at Stanford University. One of the events was dedicated to the question of how generative AI can improve well-being. What do you do after such an AI conference? One option is to go to San Francisco. It’s certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Another option is to head south. Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea are worthwhile little towns with a long history. In between, the 17 Miles Drive beckons with beautiful views of the wild sea and the old trees on the hills and along the shore. Famous is the Lonely Pine, which is a popular photo motif. If you want to watch otters, Pacific Grove is the place to be. From Lovers Point, you can watch the animals hunting and playing. There are a few historic hotels right by the sea, such as the Green Gables. If you have the right room, you can watch the otters there until night falls over the bay.
Ende März 2024 ist der Band „Generative Künstliche Intelligenz: ChatGPT und Co für Bildung, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft“ erschienen. Herausgeber sind Prof. Dr. Sabine Seufert und Prof. Dr. Siegfried Handschuh von der Universität St. Gallen. Sie informieren wie folgt: „Generative Künstliche Intelligenz beschreibt eine Klasse von KI-Systemen, die in der Lage sind, aus großen Datenmengen zu lernen und auf dieser Grundlage neue, bisher nicht gesehene Inhalte zu generieren, wie beispielsweise Texte, Bilder, Musik oder Videos. Dabei wird die Generierungskapazität der KI mit dem Ziel eingesetzt, kreative Prozesse zu unterstützen, neue Ideen zu generieren und innovative Lösungsansätze zu liefern. Trotz ihrer beeindruckenden Fähigkeiten haben generative KI-Systeme auch ihre Herausforderungen, wie die Kontrolle über den generierten Inhalt, das Verständnis von Kontext und Bedeutung sowie ethische Fragen im Zusammenhang mit der Nutzung von generativer KI. Der Band gibt einen Überblick über generative KI-Systeme und beleuchtet die Auswirkungen auf das Management von Innovationen, Wirtschaft, Bildung und Gesellschaft.“ (Website Verlag) Im Band enthalten ist der Beitrag „Generative KI aus ethischer Sicht“ von Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel. Weitere Informationen über shop.haufe.de/prod/generative-kuenstliche-intelligenz.
Abb.: Das Buch wird hoffentlich überall auf Interesse stoßen (Bild: DALL-E 3)
On the second day of the AAAI Spring Symposia, one could already get the impression that the traditional conference has returned to its former greatness. The Covid pandemic had damaged it. In 2023, there were still too few participants for some symposia. Many stayed home and watched the sessions online. It was difficult for everyone involved. But the problems had already started in 2019. At that time, the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence had decided not to publish the proceedings centrally any more, but to leave it to the individual organizers. Some of them were negligent or disinterested and left the scientists alone with their demands. In 2024, the association took over the publication process again, which led to very positive reactions in the community. Last but not least, of course, the boost from generative AI helped. In 2024, you can see many happy and exuberant AI experts at Stanford University, with mild temperatures and lots of sunshine.
Douglas „Doug“ Bruce Lenat was an American AI researcher and founder and CEO of Cycorp, Inc. in Austin, Texas. He died in 2023 at the age of 72. Not long before, he had participated in the AAAI Spring Symposia. In a touching speech, Edward „Ed“ Albert Feigenbaum remembered his friend and colleague on the afternoon of 26 March 2024 at the symposium „Empowering Machine Learning and Large Language Models with Domain and Commonsense Knowledge (AAAI-MAKE 2024)“. He is a famous American computer scientist who is considered the father of expert systems. Andreas Martin from the FHNW School of Business created the framework in a sensitive manner. He also called up a video that had never been posted online and that most of the audience had never seen before. It showed Doug Lenat giving an online lecture. Back in 1983, he had come to the opinion that heuristics lead to a dead end because a program mostly learns new things that are similar to what it already knows. His conclusion was that the first step was to make it’s knowledge base as large as possible. This led to the Cyc project, which aimed to capture the general knowledge of an average adult. Both Ed Feigenbaum and Doug Lenat proved to be critics of large language models at the event. More information about the AAAI 2024 Spring Symposia is available here.
Fig.: Edward Feigenbaum during his speech at Stanford University
On March 26, 2024, Oliver Bendel (School of Business FHNW) gave two talks on generative AI at Stanford University. The setting was the AAAI Spring Symposia, more precisely the symposium „Impact of GenAI on Social and Individual Well-being (AAAI2024-GenAI)“. One presentation was based on the paper „How Can Generative AI Enhance the Well-being of the Blind?“ by Oliver Bendel himself. It was about the GPT-4-based feature Be My AI in the Be My Eyes app. The other presentation was based on the paper „How Can GenAI Foster Well-being in Self-regulated Learning?“ by Stefanie Hauske (ZHAW) and Oliver Bendel. The topic was GPTs used for self-regulated learning. Both talks were received with great interest by the audience. All papers of the AAAI Spring Symposia will be published in spring. The proceedings are edited by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence itself.
Fig.: Oliver Bendel after his talks (Photo: Milan Kostic)
On March 25, 2024, Takashi Kido opened the symposium „Impact of GenAI on Social and Individual Well-being“. It is part of the AAAI 2024 Spring Symposia at Stanford University. Among other things, he reported on a study on the trolley problem. In it, not only humans but also ChatGPT answered the question of whether to set the switch (version by Philippa Foot) or push the fat man off the bridge (version by Judith Jarvis Thomson). In the discussion that followed, Oliver Bendel reported on an experiment that his Data Science student Sahan Hatemo is conducting as part of a mini-challenge. He developed dozens of personas that should lead to corresponding GPTs. They have different ages, ethnicities, genders, life plans, and so on. Once completed, they are also supposed to answer the aforementioned questions of the trolley problem. However, the student is considering reducing the complexity first and using an open source language model. There was a lively discussion about this project. Further information on this symposium is available here.
The AAAI 2024 Spring Symposium Series will be held at Stanford University from March 25-27, 2024. There are a total of eight symposia. One of them is „Impact of GenAI on Social and Individual Well-being“. It will be hosted by Takashi Kido (Teikyo University, Japan) and Keiki Takadama (The University of Electro-Communications, Japan). The announcement text reads: „Generative AI (GenAI) presents significant opportunities and challenges in the areas of individual and societal well-being. While its benefits in areas such as healthcare, the arts, and education are enormous, it also requires careful consideration of ethics, privacy, fairness, and security.“ On March 25, 2024, Takashi Kido opened the symposium with an interesting talk, including how ChatGPT would decide on the trolley problem. More information about the symposium is available here.
Robotics is booming, thanks in part to AI. Dozens of quadrupeds and bipeds are available, as well as numerous other social and service robots. After presenting the idea of a robot park several times since 2020, Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel initiated the project „A Robot Park for Switzerland“ in March 2024. The purpose of a robot park is to educate the public. Everyone should have the opportunity to interact and communicate with robots and to make up his or her own mind about them. The kick-off meeting took place at the School of Business FHNW on March 22, 2024. BIT student Susmy Chakkaith could be won over. She is developing a concept with maps and other visualizations. The robot park is to be located in Switzerland and will include 100-200 robots, both industrial and service robots. Social robots and four- and two-legged friends will play a special role. It will be based on an amusement park or a zoo. Technical, economic, and ethical aspects will play a role. In particular, the concept should convincingly demonstrate how procurement, operation, maintenance, repair, etc. can be guaranteed, not least for models from China or Japan. The entire infrastructure, including network connectivity, cloud computing, power supply, etc., is also relevant. A business model will be outlined and evaluated. The results will be available in August 2024 and will be made available to the public.
Fig.: A robot park for Switzerland (Image: DALL-E 3)
The main conference of the ICSR will be held in Odense in 2024, and its full name is „16th International Conference on Social Robotics +AI“. There is also the ICSR-2024 Competition in Naples, Italy. According to the website, it is „The 1st Competition of the International Conference on Social Robotics“. The new format will take place on 30-31 May 2024 (according to a later announcement, it was postponed to May 8 and 9). The General Chair explains the intention of the event: „ICSR Competition aims at being not only a competition but an extraordinary showcase of innovation and talent in the field of robotics. This event marks the convergence of brilliance, where teams comprising students, PhD students, researchers, and esteemed professors will compete in a series of captivating competitions through a groundbreaking exploration into the realms of robotics, where cutting-edge technologies and social applications come together. In the spirit of fostering collaboration and pushing the boundaries of what is possible, our competitions will showcase the diverse capabilities of robotics.“ (Website ICSR-24 Competition) According to the organizers, teams will compete in four different competitions: the Robotic Arm Challenge, the Humanoid Robot Challenge, the Robot Design Challenge, and the Game Jam Challenge. More information is available at www.icsr2024-competition.org.
Fig.: The well-known NAO at the Brugg-Windisch campus
Bei der Jahrestagung des Instituts für Digitale Ethik (IDE) der Hochschule der Medien am 19. Juni 2024 – der IDEepolis 2024 – geht es um humanoide Roboter und Serviceroboter aller Art. Dabei wird sozusagen die Maschinenethik des deutschsprachigen Raums fast vollständig vertreten sein, in Person des Technikphilosophen und Wirtschaftsinformatikers Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel („Handbuch Maschinenethik“ – Springer VS) und der Philosophin Prof. Dr. Catrin Misselhorn („Grundfragen der Maschinenethik“ – Reclam). Zudem referiert Prof. Dr. Armin Nassehi vom Institut für Soziologie der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. Aus dem Forschungsprojekt ZEN-MRI (www.zen-mri.de) werden Ideen zur Gestaltung von Robotern im öffentlichen Raum vorgestellt. Im Rahmen der Tagung findet zudem die 20. Verleihung des Medienethik-Awards META statt, in deren Rahmen laut IDE herausragende journalistische Beiträge zum Thema Mensch-Maschine von einer studentischen Jury prämiert werden. Der Vortrag von Oliver Bendel trägt den Titel „Es wird ein Mensch gemacht: Die Vision des universellen Roboters“. Weitere Informationen sind in Kürze auf der Website des IDE verfügbar.
Beim Cybathlon nehmen Sportler mit Behinderungen teil. Sie sind ausgerüstet mit Brain-Computer-Interfaces, Hightechprothesen, Exoskeletten und anderen Technologien. Vom 25. bis 27. Oktober 2024 findet die dritte Ausgabe statt. Austragungsorte sind die Arena Schluefweg in Kloten nahe Zürich und lokale Hubs auf der ganzen Welt. „In einem einzigartigen Wettkampf treten 100 internationale Teams aus Akademie und Industrie an. Die ursprünglichen sechs Disziplinen werden um zwei weitere erweitert: Ein Rennen mit intelligenten Sehassistenztechnologien und ein Rennen mit Assistenzrobotern.“(Website Cybathlon) Beim Cybathlon im Jahre 2016 war der Moderator Tobias Müller fünfmal im Gespräch mit Oliver Bendel, Technikphilosoph aus Zürich, der bei diesem Anlass vor allem Informations- und Roboterethiker war, den Einsatz von Implantaten, Prothesen und Robotern einordnend und bewertend. Einmal war Lino Guzzella mit dabei, der damalige ETH-Präsident, einmal Robert Riener, der Initiator und Organisator des Cybathlon. Der Ethiker betonte immer wieder, dass gegen die technische Erweiterung aus Sicht der Ethik nichts spricht, wenn es um erwachsene, verständige Menschen geht, die ihre Autonomie oder Performanz verbessern wollen. Bis heute nimmt er den Cybathlon als aufregendes, wegweisendes Format wahr. Weitere Informationen zum Cybathlon 2024 sind über cybathlon.ethz.ch de verfügbar.
Abb.: Ein Assistenzroboter bei den Cybathlon Challenges (Foto: ETH Zürich, CYBATHLON/Alessandro della Bella)
Um ihre Züge frei von Graffitis zu halten und Vandalismus vorzubeugen, testet die Deutsche Bahn in München laut einer Pressemitteilung vom 15. März 2024 den vierbeinigen Roboter Spot von Boston Dynamics. Dieser patrouilliere eigenständig über Abstellanlagen und erkenne KI-gestützt unbefugte Personen oder andere Unregelmäßigkeiten. Daraufhin starte er eine Liveübertragung mit Bildern in HD-Qualität. Diese landen zur Prüfung bei den DB-Sicherheitsmitarbeitern in der Nähe, „die gegebenenfalls weitere Schritte einleiten können“ (Pressemitteilung DB, 15. März 2024). Spot kann schwieriges Gelände bewältigen, und das rund um die Uhr: „Selbst Stufen, Schienen oder Schotter sind für ihn kein Problem. Mit Hilfe seiner Sensoren und Kameras kann er Kollisionen mit Menschen oder Gegenständen vermeiden und behält auch nachts jederzeit den Überblick.“ (Pressemitteilung DB, 15. März 2024) Licht aus, Spot an! Für zwielichtige Gestalten brechen harte Zeiten an. Es sind inzwischen einige Vierbeiner auf dem Markt, manche davon zu relativ niedrigen Preisen, wie im Falle des Unitree Go2. Spot gilt immer noch als Flaggschiff der Branche. Boston Dynamics gehört zur Hyundai Motor Group.
Abb.: Spot im Einsatz für die Deutsche Bahn (Foto: Deutsche Bahn AG/Thomas Kiewning)
