OWL research network successfully completes four-year project
How can artificial intelligence (AI) support people without wasting resources or exacerbating social problems? The SAIL research network has been addressing this question over the past four years. As the project draws to a close, those involved are drawing a positive conclusion: the researchers have developed new approaches to comprehensible, robust and sustainable AI, ranging from applications in healthcare to the analysis of political debates.
After almost four years, the SAIL (“Sustainable Life-cycle of Intelligent Socio-Technical Systems”) research network is coming to an end. Together, Paderborn University, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences have investigated how artificial intelligence can be used in a way that is reliable in the long term, resource-efficient and socially responsible. SAIL was funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.
This has resulted in research with direct benefits for society and the economy. The projects range from AI systems capable of detecting errors in blood samples to intelligent assistance systems for care. Other researchers used modern language models to analyse Bundestag debates spanning decades and to highlight societal developments based on a broad data set.
A distinctive feature of SAIL was the close collaboration between Computer Science, engineering, medicine, and the social sciences and humanities. This led to solutions that combine technical innovation with social responsibility.
“Thinking sustainably is a matter of social responsibility. AI should contribute to solving societal problems, not exacerbate them,” says Prof. Dr Barbara Hammer, head of the SAIL project and professor of Machine Learning at Bielefeld University. “Sustainable AI is not a niche topic, but a prerequisite for long-term acceptance and trustworthiness. By combining technical efficiency with social responsibility, we ensure that artificial intelligence actually functions as a service to society and does not become a driver of new inequalities,” adds Prof. Dr. Axel Ngonga Ngomo from Paderborn University.
The results will continue to have an impact even after the funding has ended. The participating universities have permanently expanded their collaboration and are now part of the ELLIS Unit NRW, a Europe-wide networked research collaboration for artificial intelligence. This ensures that East Westphalia-Lippe remains a prominent hub for AI research with a social mission. The new NRW Unit is one of only seven new units across Europe and the first to pool the AI research strengths of an entire federal state. For the OWL Campus, this means a direct link to cutting-edge European research – and the opportunity to be recognised as an AI hub beyond the region on a permanent basis.
The funding will expire in July 2026 – but the collaboration will not. The Joint Artificial Intelligence Institute (JAII), which previously linked the Paderborn University and Bielefeld University, has been expanded to include HSBI and TH OWL, providing a permanent institutional home for their joint activities.
This text was translated automatically.
