Integreat, a new Centre of Excellence (SFF), aims to shape the new field of knowledge-driven machine learning in Norway, making it more sustainable, accurate, trustworthy, and ethical. See video and images from the event.
Machine learning is the engine of artificial intelligence
Svein Stølen, Rector of the University of Oslo, welcomed a fully packed venue at the University of Oslo Library, HumSam Scene.
“The ambition is that Integreat will play a central role in defining the innovative area of knowledge-driven machine learning in Norway. It is the mathematical and data-driven engine of artificial intelligence—this is the foundation, the basic force for technological advancement.”
“Artificial intelligence is clearly a game changer. It’s going to impact society, change the workforce, and we must help ensure that it changes in a good way,” he said.
Machine learning is key to answering society’s big questions
Minister of Research and Higher Education, Oddmund Hoel, emphasised the importance of the day and congratulated everyone involved. He highlighted the significant societal challenges Norway faces, such as energy efficiency, healthcare for an aging population, and technological competitiveness.
“The key to answering many of these big questions lies in machine learning. But the degree of success and how the answers are shaped is up to us. We must build a digital foundation that ensures development occurs in line with our values as a society.”
“Integreat will put the country on the world map in machine learning, precisely by contributing to more knowledge-driven machine learning. It’s extremely important,” the minister said.
Centre of Excellence (SFF)
Integreat is a Centre of Excellence (SFF) in research, co-financed by the Research Council of Norway. The SFF scheme gives Norway's leading researchers the opportunity to organise themselves into centres to achieve ambitious scientific goals. The research shall push the international research frontier, be innovative, and groundbreaking. Centres are funded for up to ten years.
Integreat will elevate machine learning
Mari Sundli Tveit, Chief Executive at the Research Council of Norway, congratulated the Integreat team and noted that Integreat was selected as one of the top nine applications for the SFF grants, receiving significant funding (150 million NOK from 2023 to 2033) from the Research Council.
“The center will likely elevate machine learning to new levels when explicit knowledge can be injected into machine learning processes,” she said.
Collaboration between UiO, UiT, and NR
Integreat Director Arnoldo Frigessi thanked everyone on behalf of Integreat and received the official SFF plaque from Mari Sundli Tveit.
In addition, André Teigland, CEO of the Norwegian Computing Center (NR), and Olav Gaute Hellesø, Head of the Institute of Physics and Technology at the University of Tromsø (UiT), also extended their greetings, emphasising the collaborative spirit driving Integreat’s mission.
Integreat aims to develop more sustainable, precise, and ethical machine learning models by integrating data with domain-specific knowledge. With the collaboration of UiT, the Norwegian Computing Center (NR), and leading international researchers, Integreat is set to position Norway at the forefront of AI research.
Dreams for Integreat over the next ten years
Key members of the Integreat team shared their visions for what they hope to achieve in the next ten years of research at Integreat.
Professor Robert Jenssen, Center Leader, Department of Physics and Technology, UiT, highlighted the unique opportunity the Centre of Excellence offers for long-term, fundamental research, which is key to major breakthroughs. He believes such research will significantly impact the future of machine learning in Norway and globally. Integreat aims to better utilize existing knowledge to solve societal challenges through machine learning, focusing on understanding data patterns while incorporating ethical and practical considerations. He is excited about the potential impact of this work.
Professor Lilja Øvrelid, Center Leader, Department of Informatics, UiO, emphasized that AI and machine learning have the potential to solve future challenges but also carry risks, such as climate impact and the reinforcement of biases. Her vision for Integreat is to develop more sustainable, energy-efficient models that use existing knowledge and are smaller and fairer. She also aims to create ethical, non-discriminatory AI that aligns with societal values. Øvrelid hopes to increase trust in AI through explainable methods, and Integreat is starting a PhD project to address these challenges, including making biases in models more explicit.
Postdoctoral Researcher Anne-Marie George, Department of Informatics, UiO, emphasised the importance of fostering genuine interdisciplinarity at Integreat. She hopes to create an environment where researchers from different fields can collaborate effectively, sharing perspectives and learning from each other. Although it requires patience and time to understand different viewpoints, she believes this collaboration can lead to solving problems across domains and potentially creating entirely new, innovative solutions. She is inspired by the diversity of backgrounds among her new colleagues and looks forward to the creative possibilities that interdisciplinarity can bring.
Professor Martin Giese, Center Leader, Department of Informatics, UiO, stressed that it’s important not to just mix disciplines superficially but to understand how different methods, like logic, statistics, and machine learning, relate and complement each other. As a logician, he sees value in using logical methods to extract non-obvious answers from information, similar to what statistics and machine learning do. He hopes Integreat can deeply explore the connections and differences between these methods, particularly in handling contradictory data. He is excited about the potential for interdisciplinary collaboration at the center to tackle these complex challenges.
Professor Ingrid Glad, Center Leader, Department of Mathematics, UiO, shared her dreams for Integreat and highlighted the importance of building the right competence that Norway needs now and in the future. She hopes Integreat not only fosters brilliant research careers for PhD students but also inspires bachelor’s and master’s students to pursue studies in machine learning and AI, leading them to important roles in industry and government. Ingrid envisions Integreat becoming a key player in developing interdisciplinary expertise, attracting top students globally, and creating a dynamic, innovative environment. She also aims to improve gender balance in the field. She is proud that the current group of PhD students and postdocs is of the highest caliber, fulfilling one of her dreams already.
Vilde Ung, Integreat PhD Candidate, UiO, explained that she was initially drawn to statistics and machine learning due to her fascination with the brain and its complexity. Over time, her interest shifted toward the methods that allow researchers to study complex processes, particularly how datasets can be combined with existing knowledge to answer intricate questions. This focus on integrating machine learning with available knowledge is what attracted her to Integreat. She is excited to be part of a new research center that gathers top minds in AI, offering rich opportunities for collaboration and learning. Vilde Ung believes that Integreat will enhance the reliability and robustness of AI, opening up new possibilities in fields like neuroscience, and she is eager to contribute to this innovative environment.
Panel debate on the societal impacts of AI
The event concluded with a panel debate on the societal impacts of AI, focusing on how AI affects different sectors of society and how researchers and policymakers can ensure that AI benefits society in the best possible way.
Participants included Minister of Research and Higher Education Oddmund Hoel, Research Council Chief Executive Mari Sundli Tveit, and center leaders from Integreat, including Professors Arnoldo Frigessi, Lilja Øvrelid, and Robert Jenssen.
The discussion explored the roles of both researchers and policymakers in guiding AI development to maximise its positive effects while addressing potential challenges and risks. The debate emphasized collaboration between academia and government to ensure AI serves the public good.
What do children think of AI?
At the very end of the launch, a short video about what children think of AI now and in the future was shown. In the video, 10 children of AI researchers at Integreat were interviewed.
Italian Ice Cream
All participants enjoyed fresh Italian ice cream to celebrate the launch. Celebrating with Italian ice cream has become a tradition in Integreat.