Technical University of Berlin, Germany
Stefan Schmid is a Full Professor at the Technical University of Berlin, Germany, working part-time for the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology (SIT). He is also a Principle Investigator of the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society in Berlin. He obtained his diploma (MSc) in Computer Science at ETH Zurich in Switzerland (minor: micro/macro economics, internship: CERN) and did his PhD in the Distributed Computing Group led by Prof. Roger Wattenhofer, also at ETH Zurich. As a postdoc, he worked with Prof. Christian Scheideler at the Chair for Efficient Algorithms at the Technical University of Munich and at the Chair for Theory of Distributed Systems at the University of Paderborn, in Germany. From 2009 to 2015, Stefan Schmid was a senior research scientist at the Telekom Innovation Laboratories (T-Labs) and at TU Berlin in Germany (Internet Network Architectures group headed by Prof. Anja Feldmann). In 2013/14, he was an INP Visiting Professor at CNRS (LAAS), Toulouse, France, and in 2014, a Visiting Professor at Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. From 2015 to 2018, Stefan Schmid was a (tenured) Associate Professor in the Distributed, Embedded and Intelligent Systems group at Aalborg University, Denmark, and from 2018 to 2021, a Full Professor at the Faculty of Computer Science at the University of Vienna, Austria. In 2022, Stefan Schmid was a Fellow at the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies (IIAS) in Jerusalem, Israel.
Keynote Title: Revolutionizing Datacenter Networks via Reconfigurable Topologies
Abstract: With the popularity of cloud computing and data-intensive applications such as machine learning, datacenter networks have become a critical infrastructure for our digital society. Given the explosive growth of datacenter traffic and the slowdown of Moore’s law, significant efforts have been made to improve datacenter network performance over the last decade. A particularly innovative solution is reconfigurable datacenter networks (RDCNs): datacenter networks whose topologies dynamically change over time, in either a demand-oblivious or a demand-aware manner. Such dynamic topologies are enabled by recent optical switching technologies and stand in stark contrast to state-of-the-art datacenter network topologies, which are fixed and oblivious to the actual traffic demand. In particular, reconfigurable demand-aware and “self-adjusting” datacenter networks are motivated empirically by the significant spatial and temporal structures observed in datacenter communication traffic. This talk presents an overview of reconfigurable datacenter networks. In particular, we discuss the motivation for such reconfigurable architectures, review the technological enablers, and present a taxonomy that classifies the design space into two dimensions: static vs. dynamic and demand-oblivious vs. demand-aware. We further present a formal model and discuss related research challenges. The talk is based on our Communications of the ACM article with the same name. The article also comes with complementary video interviews in which three leading experts, Manya Ghobadi, Amin Vahdat, and George Papen, share with us their perspectives on reconfigurable datacenter networks.
Technical University of Munich
Björn W. Schuller received his diploma, doctoral degree, and habilitation all in EE/IT from TUM in Munich/Germany where he is Full Professor and Chair of Health Informatics. He is also Full Professor of Artificial Intelligence at Imperial College London/UK, co-founding CEO and current CSO of audEERING, and with the Munich Data Science Institute and Munich Center for Machine Learning, amongst other Professorships and Affiliations. Previous stays include Full Professor at the Universities of Augsburg and Passau/Germany, Key Researcher at Joanneum Research in Graz/Austria, and the CNRS-LIMSI in Orsay/France. He is a Fellow of the ACM, IEEE, BCS, DIRDI, ELLIS, ISCA, and AAAC. He (co-)authored 1,500+ publications (70k citations, h-index 119), is Editor in Chief of AI Open, Field Chief Editor of Frontiers in Digital Health, and was Editor in Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing amongst manifold further commitments and service to the community.
Keynote Title: Artificial Warmth: The Advent of Empathetic AI
Abstract: As Artificial Intelligence advances, the focus is shifting from pure technical optimisation to human-centred intelligence—AI that understands, interacts, and collaborates with us in meaningful ways. In this keynote, we explore the transformative potential of Human-Centric AI, integrating Deep Learning, Human-Computer Interaction, and Affective Computing to redefine how machines perceive and respond to our needs. From Large Models revolutionising sentiment-aware AI to psychological and medical diagnosing, we are witnessing a new era where AI becomes not only more intuitive, but also empathetic, socially intelligent, and knowledgeable about our inner and health state. Affective computing, social robotics, and friendly AI are at the forefront, fostering trust and companionship between humans and machines. However, achieving this vision requires overcoming ethical, technical, and societal challenges. This talk will dive into the latest advancements in Sentiment Analysis, AI-driven medical insights, and the role of AI in fostering well-being. How can we ensure that AI remains a responsible and beneficial partner? What does the future hold for AI’s role in communication, healthcare, and emotional intelligence? Join in to explore a future where AI is not only powerful but also profoundly human.
Alexander Thamm GmbH
Dr Johannes Nagele has a scientific background in biophysics and brain research and has more than 15 years of experience in statistics, data science, software development, machine learning and artificial intelligence. He combines his many years of practical experience with conceptual approaches to the analysis and modelling of complex systems. At Alexander Thamm GmbH, he heads the Data Lab as Senior Principle AI Researcher & Consultant. He is responsible for over 60 data scientists and a powerful team of AI experts. His tasks include innovation, research, market observation and the concrete implementation of customer projects. He works as a consultant, coach, podcast host, author and keynote speaker. His focus topics are multi-agent systems, generative AI and unsupervised learning. Unconventional solutions, the detection of synergies, true and sustainable business value and the transfer of concepts are his particular strengths, in addition to his extensive overview and many years of experience. He is also the host of the podcast ‘Nagele mit Köpfchen’.
Keynote Title: Opinionated knowledge management as a gamechanger in times of uncertainty, change, and separation
Abstract: In times of uncertainty and rapid technological change, we face increased fear, worries, and scepticism in society. Many feel disconnected from nature, our roots, and each other. This impacts society at all levels and affects the global economy. At the same time, individuals and organizations encounter unprecedented complexity in information and processes. Energy consumption rises, while many countries face demographic changes and a lack of specialized workforces. In this talk, I propose a unifying framework elaborating on AI that addresses these issues by centering on human principles. This new approach to storing, computing, and sharing information creates a fluid, opinionated, safe, lightweight, and cognitive knowledge management system that grows with its users. By leveraging agentic AI-driven knowledge management systems, we can overcome these challenges, foster connectivity, and drive positive change in society and organizations. Join me in exploring how this innovative framework can transform our approach to knowledge and information in these challenging times.
DFKI
Aljoscha Burchardt is Principal Researcher at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) in Berlin. He is an expert in Language Technology and Artificial Intelligence. Burchardt is Senior Research Fellow of the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society and Deputy Chairman of the Berlin Scientific Society (Berliner Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft). He was also a member of the Enquete-commission on Artificial Intelligence of the German Parliament.
Keynote Title: AI against AI: How to support creative people in a world flooded with information and disinformation?
Abstract: We are constantly confronted with news, "alternative facts”, fake news etc. Especially people dealing professionally with information like journalist are facing challenges seen the sheer amount of incoming data. In my talk, I will present our approach to supporting such people in the search of truth with a multimodal technology platform based on natural language processing and other AI technologies we are developing in news polygraph, one of the largest German R&D projects dealing with disinformation in the media.