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Data Science Centre launches pioneering research programme on AI involving all 7 UvA faculties

6 July 2023

The UvA Data Science Centre introduces a pioneering research programme aimed at equipping Artificial Intelligence (AI) for video data interpretation with the ability to align with human values and ethical principles. The project will establish a first of its kind laboratory that studies video-AI from a multidisciplinary perspective – the research investigation team will consist of research investigators and PhD students from all 7 UvA faculties.
Maxim Hopman Unsplash

Video Artificial Intelligence (Video-AI) has shown immense potential for scientific exploration, business applications, and well-being. However the same video-AI is also accountable for problematic societal issues, such as the spread of misinformation, accidents caused by self-driving cars and mass-surveillance systems. This research programme emphasizes the need to shift the focus from recognition accuracy to human-alignment, ensuring societal acceptance and responsible digital transformation.

Multidisciplinary laboratory

The programme will establish the Data Science Centre’s first multidisciplinary laboratory, the Human-Aligned Video AI Laboratory (DSC HAVA-Lab), to define human-aligned video-AI, develop computable models, and examine the factors influencing its societal acceptance.

The DSC HAVA-Lab research team

The lead Principal Investigator is Prof. dr. Cees Snoek (Faculty of Science). Lab Manager is Dr. Pascal Mettes (Faculty of Science). Co-Principal Investigators are: Dr. Erwin Berkhout (Dentistry), Prof. dr. Tobias Blanke (Humanities), Dr. Iris Groen (Faculty of Science), Dr. mr. Heleen Janssen (Amsterdam Law School), Prof. dr. Marie Lindegaard (Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences), Dr. Stevan Rudinac (Economics and Business) and Prof. dr. Marlies Schijven (AUMC).

I am very excited to be part of this unique Data Science Centre laboratory on Human-Aligned Video AI. It builds on a long collaboration between social scientists interpreting and analyzing videos using their knowledge about human behavior and Computer Vision scientists with the same aims but entirely different tools. In the DSC HAVA-Lab we can finally work together on shared projects, in a space with scholars from all seven UvA Faculties, who are all interested in developing Human-Aligned Video AI for the public good. Prof. dr. Marie R. Lindegaard, Professor of Sociology at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences and Co-Principal Investigator of the DSC HAVA-Lab
This very first Data Science Centre Lab aims to harness the full potential of video-AI while respecting ethical considerations and aligning with human values. By combining strong AI-technology research with an interdisciplinary approach, the DSC HAVA-Lab will contribute to the UvA taking a leading role in responsible AI. Prof. dr. Paul Groth, Professor of Algorithmic Data Science, Faculty of Science Informatics Institute, and Scientific director of the Data Science Centre