By Aylin Krieger
23 Mar 2026
Karolina Kumar highlighted innovative developments in cognitive and AI-based robotics, as well as human-centered systems, which place trust, transparency, and safety at the core of Bremen’s research. She also emphasized the importance and value of European collaboration.
Representatives from politics, academia, and industry discussed current developments in AI research and their societal implications.
The evening also highlighted the upcoming international AI conference IJCAI-ECAI 2026, which will take place in Bremen from August 15 to 21, 2026, and is considered one of the world’s leading conferences in AI research. Prof. Tanja Schultz and Dr.-Ing. Monika Michaelis, both chairs of the Local Arrangements Committee, emphasized that Bremen’s AI ecosystem was a key factor in the city’s successful bid. In addition to providing an update on planning, they introduced the “Summer of AI,” which will accompany IJCAI-ECAI 2026 with additional scientific and outreach-oriented events in Bremen.
A European Perspective
In a keynote address, Eszter Fay, Policy Officer at DG Research & Innovation of the European Commission, presented the new “European Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in Science.” Through the RAISE initiative (“Resource for AI Science in Europe”), the Commission aims to improve access to computing resources, data, and research funding while strengthening European collaboration in AI in science.
A central theme of the talk was talent: attracting and retaining top scientists and AI specialists was identified as one of the most critical prerequisites for maintaining Europe’s competitiveness in this field. Fay also noted that the Commission is closely monitoring the impact of the AI Act on research and intends to provide further guidance for the scientific community.
Research, Applications, and Innovation from Bremen
Tanja Schultz, Professor of Cognitive Systems at the University of Bremen, presented both Bremen’s AI ecosystem and the “Biosignals-HUB” project. The goal is to establish an infrastructure for collecting and analyzing real-world biosignals as a foundation for human-centered AI applications. This includes the development of mobile sensor systems as well as a centralized data storage and computing infrastructure. A key focus is data sovereignty and responsible use: individuals are to retain control over their sensitive biosignal data, and its use will adhere to ethical standards and data protection regulations to generate value for society.
Dr.-Ing. Thomas Vögele from the Robotics Innovation Center at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) provided insights into application-oriented research within Bremen’s AI ecosystem. The center develops intelligent robotic systems for applications including underwater, space, industrial, and assistive environments. His talk emphasized the importance of “embodied AI,” in which AI systems learn not only from digital data but through physical interaction with their environment.
Dr. Maximilian Schmidt from the Bremen-based startup aisencia, a spin-off from the University of Bremen, demonstrated how research can be translated into market-ready innovation. The company develops AI-supported systems for digital skin pathology to improve diagnostic workflows in response to rising skin cancer rates and a growing shortage of pathologists. The central message was that the best outcomes are achieved not by AI alone, but through the combination of AI and human pathological expertise.
Further impressions of the reception
