AI Austria monthly: May'24 Update

Large funding for AI research in Austria, new study on genAI in Marketing, partnerships, AI challenges, recent developments, AI Music & much more

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May 07, 2024

While many discuss whether AI is a hype or a game-changer, we would say: why choose :) Some updates for you from our community on what is going on in AI in Austria…

🚀 Latest Developments

✨ UNIVIE CONNECT: Advancing AI Together

Practical challenges and real-world applications drive research, while academic insights and breakthroughs fuel corporate innovation. Such partnerships are vital for creating innovation in AI. It was clear for us at AI Austria that we will support this event on June 1st, 2024, organized by the University of Vienna and weXelerate. UNIVIE Connect creates a space for exchange needed for advancing AI. Interested companies send an application via Email to the contact addresses provided. » Read more

🏔️ Meetup announcement: T[AI]ROL – Where Data Science Meets the Alps!

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On June 12th we’re happy to support the next edition of T[AI]ROL, discussing the latest developments in AI. Featuring Dr. Georg Droschl from Alexander Thamm Austria, our own Stefan Engl, Deputy Chairman of AI Austria, discussing our mission, Daniel Bachlechner from Fraunhofer Austria Research GmbH, on research collaboration and Roman Seyyed from Standortagentur Tirol, introducing digital initiatives in Tirol » Join us for a day of engaging talks and networking opportunities

🎓🧠 Exciting News for Austrian AI Research!

Von links nach rechts: FWF-Präsident Christof Gattringer, Sepp Hochreiter (Universität Linz), Wissenschaftsminister Martin Polaschek, FWF-Vizepräsidentin Ursula Jakubek, Frank Madeo (Universität Graz) bei der Bekanntgabe der neuen Exzellenzcluster

The Austrian Science Fund (FWF) is investing €19.8 million in a groundbreaking AI research project led by the University of Linz. The "Bilateral Artificial Intelligence" cluster brings together top researchers from six Austrian universities to develop the foundations for "Broad AI" - a new generation of AI systems that combine machine learning and knowledge representation. This significant investment aims to create AI capable of drawing its own conclusions and exhibiting advanced cognitive abilities, with the potential to revolutionize various industries. » Read more

🎼 Music & AI Hackathon in Nara, Japan 2025

Get ready for the ultimate blend of beats and bytes at the Music & AI Hackathon in Nara, Japan 🇯🇵, from June 14th to June 15th, 2025! AI Austria is excited to be a community partner for this collaboration between Austria and Japan. Whether you want to participate, mentor, or partner, now's the time to jump in and get involved. Austria is preparing for the 2025 expo in Osaka. The plan is to bring together the best of Austria's tradition and future vision, with AI and cutting-edge tech at the forefront. And what better way to show off the power of new tech than with the universal language of music? » Read more and get in touch

🤖✨ KI Branchenradar: Marketing & Sales shows how Generative AI is currently deployed in Austrian companies

How is Generative AI already being applied in Austrian companies? Around 16 months after the launch of ChatGPT the „KI Branchenradar: Marketing&Sales" looks into this question! ADVANTAGE AI engaged in a survey with 117 experts in marketing&sales from Austrian pharmaceuticals & health companies to uncover the most frequent current applications of genAI, how satisfied experts were with the results and the benefits it offered » check out the detailed results

💶 Guest post: When is the right time to sell your company?

M&A is becoming a hot topic in the AI world. Samira Advisors have launched their Medium page Samira Academy, where they share relevant learnings that set tech founders up for M&A success. In their latest publication, they offer insights into determining the optimal timing to sell your company. Crucial factors to consider include the companies’ growth trajectory, market & industry growth, consolidation & competition, as well as regulatory implications and personal circumstances. » Learn more here.

🏥 Why social insurance wants to invest over 50 million euros in AI projects

Austria's ITSV is investing over 50 million euros in artificial intelligence to enhance social insurance services, focusing on areas like faster reimbursement processes and digital transformation of health and insured data management. The initiative includes projects like digital claims processing for outpatient services and implementing AI in dental imaging, ensuring high data security standards are met. This investment aims to improve efficiency and service quality for the insured. » full article

📣 Call for applicants

🌟 IECT - Hermann Hauser Summer school - Application Deadline Extended

Calling all aspiring founders in the deeptech and life science realm! The application deadline for this years IECT Summer School got extended to May 7th! This is your chance to dive deep into cutting-edge technologies and gain invaluable insights to fuel your entrepreneurial journey.
Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just getting started, this 7-day bootcamp is tailored to equip you with the tools, knowledge, and network needed to thrive in the competitive landscape of deeptech and life sciences. » Apply now and unlock your potential

🔎 IÖB Challenge - KI-gestützte Förderungsprüfung

The Bundesministerium für Inneres (BMI) is looking for innovative AI-based solutions to revolutionize grant accounting processes. Hosted on the IÖB Platform, Austria's hub for innovative public procurement, this challenge is your opportunity to shape the future of public administration. Submission Deadline: May 22, 2024.
» More details & application on the IÖB Platform

✨ Generative AI News ✨

Udio, a cutting-edge AI music generator made by Los Angeles-based startup Mubert, has recently emerged as the leader in the field, overtaking Suno AI. Currently available as a free beta, udio.com provides advanced music generation capabilities that set a new standard in the world of AI-driven music creation. Try it out here: udio.com

The mysterious "gpt2-chatbot" appeared on the LMSYS Chatbot Arena recently, impressing users with its advanced reasoning skills, potentially rivaling GPT-4. Speculation about its origins suggests it could be a fine-tuned version of GPT-2 or a covert release of OpenAI's GPT-5. Its abrupt removal due to high traffic, coupled with a lack of transparency about its origins, has added to the intrigue surrounding this enigmatic AI model.

🌏 Asia spotlight

Beijing-based startup Shengshu Technology, in collaboration with Tsinghua University, has launched Vidu, an AI tool that generates 16-second videos from text prompts. Despite being shorter than OpenAI's Sora, Vidu represents a significant advancement in China's generative AI efforts, offering vivid 1080p resolution clips and showcasing the country's drive for innovation amid challenges like limited computing power and chip shortages. Read more here: Link

On May 2nd, 2024, at the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida emphasized the urgent need for international AI governance. He highlighted the Hiroshima AI Process, which promotes safe AI use through International Guiding Principles and a Code of Conduct. The new Friends Group, comprising 49 countries, including Austria, aims to implement these principles, while Japan will establish the GPAI Tokyo Center to support technological solutions to AI risks.

Huawei released a new iteration of its weather AI model called Zhiji, which can provide a five-day weather forecast with a precision of just 2 miles.

ByteDance announces UniFL. Improve Stable Diffusion via Unified Feedback Learning

Baidu revealed that its Ernie chatbot has surpassed 200M users, marking a milestone for the LLM market in China.

SenseTime launched SenseNova 5.0

Chinese startup Shengshu Technology and Tainghua university have officially unveiled China’s answer to OpenAI’s Sora, Vidu. The AI-powered text-to-video app can generate 16-second clips at 1080p resolution with a single click.

Stardust, a China-based company, on April 26, unveiled its AI robot Astribot S1.