Vice-Dean Yves Burkhardt welcomed the guests and emphasised the importance of networking within the department and at TU Darmstadt – and noted that women are increasingly making their mark in the engineering sciences.

A highlight of the meeting was the talk by UNITE! visiting professor Avleen Mahli from Aalto University. Among other things, she presented her research on explainable AI and made it clear that transparent decisions by AI systems are crucial for their social acceptance. She also emphasised how important it is to have more female perspectives in research.

Professor Hochberger from the Computer Systems Lab spoke about his work on circuit boards that enable rapid AI decision-making. Thanks to modern 3D integration, chips can be manufactured in a way that is smaller, more cost-effective and more energy-efficient.

In the ensuing discussion, it became clear that AI is already ubiquitous today and is developing at a rapid pace. Topics such as unconscious biases in data and the ethical use of innovations were examined, as were the opportunities arising from international collaboration and the close link between theory and practice within the department.

The day concluded with the Women’s General Assembly, at which the new Gender Equality Team was elected. Maria Rizou and Merle Backmeyer will continue to serve on the etit equality team. Agnes Engelter and Helena Sax were newly elected to the team and will officially take up their new posts on 1 June. Laura D’Angelo and Luisa Riik are stepping down. The department would like to thank them warmly for their commitment over the past years.