Vienna Innovation Conference: Influence of AI and Quantum Technology in Everyday Life

At the end of January 2024, Lars Mehnen (lecturer and researcher at UAS Technikum Wien in the field of Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics) and Mira Maiwöger (lecturer and leading member of the curriculum development team for the new Master’s degree program in Quantum Engineering) took part in two panels at the 9th Vienna Innovation Conference.

Lars Menen took part in the panel on “Vienna as a Technology Location: Smart through Artificial Intelligence?”, which was moderated by Cornelia Ertl. It was a fascinating discussion that included experts such as Maya Pindeus (Co-Founder of Humanizing Autonomy), Bernhard Landrichter (Co-Founder and CFO of GesetzeFinden.at) and Rainer Kegel (CEO of Cortical.io).

Practical Application of AI – Focus on Language Technology

Lars Mehnen’s role on the panel focused on highlighting the current state of AI in everyday life and its impact on working and studying conditions. He spoke about the practical application of AI in teaching and its development, both technically and socially, with a particular focus on language technology.
Maya Pindeus addressed Responsible AI and the need to understand AI and its fields of application. She also discussed the interfaces between humans and AI and how ethical issues arise in the context of increasing efficiency.

Rainer Kegel contributed his expertise on the influence of AI on people. He discussed the difference between hype and actual benefits and emphasized the importance of experts in dealing with AI technologies.

Bernhard Landrichter highlighted the use of AI in SMEs and discussed the potential benefits and challenges in this sector, particularly in the legal field. In the second presentation, Mehnen spoke about the application of AI in various industries, such as medicine, and addressed the issue of trust in human vs. machine expertise.

Quantum – A New Opportunity?

Mira Maiwöger was another representative of UAS Technikum Wien at the Vienna Innovation Conference. She took part in a panel discussion on “Vienna as a technology location: quantum – a new quantum?”, which was moderated by Dejan Jovicevic. Maiwöger spoke about where quantum technologies are already being used in everyday life, what the difference is between bits and qubits and went into more detail about the four sub-areas of quantum communication, quantum computing, quantum simulation and quantum senorics. She also reported on the new Master’s degree program in Quantum Engineering at UAS Technikum Wien.

Taras Demyanets (Erste Digital) spoke in this panel about ideas for business cases from Erste Digital in the field of quantum technology. Werner Strasser (fragmentiX) deals with cyber security in the field of quantum. He spoke about the opportunities that quantum computers will bring and what this could mean for society. However, he also pointed out that we should protect ourselves now against the risks that quantum computers entail. In the area of quantum cybersecurity, important things have already been missed in recent years and there is a lot of catching up to do. Clemens Utschig-Utschig (Boehringer Ingelheim) also took part in the panel discussion. He spoke about the field of quantum chemistry and reported that Boehringer Ingelheim has already been working on the topic of “making quantum usable for the pharmaceutical industry” for two years.

Further links:

Videos of the 9th Vienna Innovation Conference (January 24, 2024)

Speakers, agenda & review of the 9th Vienna Innovation Conference (January 24, 2024)

Field of competence Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics

Department Computer Science

Here are the two videos with the participation of UAS Technikum Wien at the 9th Vienna Innovation Conference:

Pictures from the two discussion rounds:

Lars Menen (2nd from left in the picture, lecturer and researcher at UAS Technikum Wien in the field of Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics) took part in the panel on “Vienna as a technology location: Smart through artificial intelligence?”, which was moderated by Cornelia Ertl (far left in the picture). Maya Pindeus (Co-Founder of Humanizing Autonomy), Bernhard Landrichter (Co-Founder and CFO of GesetzeFinden.at) and Rainer Kegel (CEO of Cortical.io) also took part in the discussion.

Mira Maiwöger (3rd from left in the picture) was another representative of UAS Technikum Wien at the Vienna Innovation Conference. She spoke in the discussion round on “Quantum – a new opportunity”, with Taras Demyanets (2nd from left, Erste Digital), Werner Strasser (4th from left, fragmentiX) and Clemens Utschig-Utschig (far right in the picture, Boehringer Ingelheim). The moderator was Dejan Jovicevic (far left in the picture).