An INSAIT conference under the motto Emerging Trends in AI and Computing Research was held on 30.09 and 01.10.2022 in the John Atanasov Hall, Sofia Tech Park with the participation of 16 world-renowned researchers from Google, Waymo, AWS, MIT, ETH Zurich, EPFL, Max-Planck, and Yale, presenting the latest achievements in computer science and artificial intelligence in Sofia.
The conference marked a precedent not only for Bulgaria but also for the region with its first event, meeting over 1000 guests with a galaxy of global technology leaders who are also mentors in the INSAIT doctoral program. Despite the repeated increase in the number of seats, the capacity of the hall did not allow several hundred people to attend the event.
- Prof. Martin Vechev, Architect of INSAIT, opened the conference, where he presented INSAIT’s strategy for creating a technological ecosystem based on world-class research. The event outlined the topics on which INSAIT will work, with the speakers presenting their latest developments and innovations that are part of the technological future of humanity, such as:
- Natural Language Processing by Dr. Tutanova from Google Research and Prof. Dragomir Radev from Yale.
- Autonomous vehicles that predict the behavior of the surrounding world presented by Dr. Dragomir Angelov, Chief Scientific Officer of Waymo (Google’s autonomous car)
- Three-dimensional modeling of the human body and creation of digital twins by Prof. Ottmar Hilligs (ETH Zurich)
- Latest generation wireless communications and automotive protection systems by Prof. Srdjan Chapkun (ETH Zurich)
- Mathematical models that guarantee the creation of reliable and secure artificial intelligence systems by Prof. Martin Vechev
- The hardware architectures of the future and the next generation of computer systems by Prof. Onur Mutlu (ETH Zurich and Carnegie Mellon) and a number of others.
It is remarkable that over 250 students from SMG, PCMG and other schools across the country had the opportunity to meet world-renowned scientists and build on their interests by gaining information from the people who determine future technologies.
The conference was greeted with great enthusiasm by the Bulgarian technology ecosystem, including engineers from leading IT companies, entrepreneurs, investors, as well as by Minister Pulev, representatives of the presidential administration, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, BAS, diplomats, journalists, guests from abroad and other organizations and institutions.
All recordings of the presentations will be uploaded to the conference website and the INSAIT YouTube channel.