Artificial intelligence and its applications in various scientific fields are at the center of a series of events organized by the EGreek Institute of Advanced Studies (Hellenic Institute of Advanced Studies- HIAS) from July 3rd to 7th in Democritus and the Eugenides Foundation, with the participation of leading Greek scientists of the diaspora.

“Artificial intelligence is one of the hottest topics and many people are dealing with it in all fields, from Maritime to Law to Aircraft Engineering. Also, several of us at the HIAS Institute deal with this issue, so we thought we could say something”, explains the president of HIAS to APE-MPE and Chair of the Department of Applied Mathematics at Harvard University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Petros Koumoutsakos.

Mr. Koumoutsakos calls artificial intelligence “an interesting technology, but I think there are quite a few exaggerations of what it can achieve.” “I think it needs a critical look from people towards artificial intelligence. It will change a lot of things, but that’s not a bad thing. Technology has always changed things, from cars to computers, it is the logic of technology that it changes what we do. But a critical look at developments and what one hears and learns is needed,” he observes.

Having 25 years of experience in artificial intelligence, Mr. Koumoutsakos explains to APE-MPE that it is the combination of mathematics, computers and artificial intelligence that he wants to use to solve problems in Engineering, Biology and Nanotechnology. Besides, the Harvard professor and president of HIAS will travel to Greece for the events shortly after being recently awarded the PRACE HPC Excellence Award for 2023 by the Partnership of Research Institutes for Advanced Computing in Europe (PRACE).

The Hellenic Institute of Advanced Studies (HIAS) was founded by Greeks of the diaspora, including Mr. Koumoutsakos, with the aim of utilizing scientific knowledge for the benefit of Greece. The aim of the Institute is international interdisciplinary collaborations with scientists who live and work in Greece on issues of social interest.

In this year’s second year of organizing events in Greece, HIAS enriches its events with a three-day summer school on July 3, 4 and 5 for students and university graduates on artificial intelligence, which will be hosted at the National Center for Natural Sciences Research “Demokritos” moderated by MIT professor and vice president of HIAS, Dimitris Bertsima.

On Thursday, July 6, a scientific workshop will follow at the Eugenides Foundation, which is aimed at researchers who are interested in exploring the possibilities of artificial intelligence applications in various scientific fields.

The event will conclude on July 7 with the second annual HIAS symposium, which will also be hosted at the Eugenides Foundation. Its theme will be “Bridges between Education, Science and Innovation” and actions will be highlighted around the creation and strengthening of scientific synergies between Greek scientists working abroad with their colleagues in Greece in areas such as Education and Research, Shipping, Artificial Intelligence and Innovation.

One of the next goals of HIAS, as Mr. Koumoutsakos explains to APE-MPE, is to obtain a more permanent physical presence in Greece through a space, in which people from the diaspora will collaborate with colleagues, students, students and startups in Hellas.