Post by Helmholtz AI

Another packed day at #HAICON26, and one that ended in one of Munich's most iconic settings - DAY 2 was definitely eventful. Today's scientific program kicked off with parallel sessions spanning robust and multimodal learning, trustworthy AI, foundation models for science, AI-driven healthcare, and scientific machine learning, among many other topics. One of the day's standout moments came from 16-year-old Laurent H. A. Simons, the youngest known person to earn a PhD in quantum physics, who presented BioXPT-Brain, a foundation model designed to decode aging and vascular dementia. Inspiring proof that science has no age. A particular highlight was the BAIOSPHERE Special Session: AI Research Across Bavaria. Bringing together leading researchers from across the state, the session showcased the diversity of Bavaria's AI ecosystem, including AI in medicine, multimodal learning, deep graph learning, and neurosymbolic reasoning. The discussions continued well beyond the talks during the BAIOSPHERE Speaker Corner, where attendees connected directly with speakers and exchanged ideas for hours. The day featured outstanding talks across scientific domains. Martin Schultz (Forschungszentrum Jülich) challenged participants to rethink the foundations of weather and climate modelling, Judith Katzy (DESY) explored how AI is accelerating discoveries in fundamental physics through data from the Large Hadron Collider, and Laura Haffert demonstrated how AI can help predict offshore groundwater occurrences, highlighting technology's growing impact on environmental and Earth system research. Gitta Kutyniok (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) delivered a thought-provoking talk on Reliable and Sustainable AI for Scientific Discovery, arguing that scientific AI must not only push the boundaries of performance, but also prioritize robustness, transparency, and resource efficiency if it is to become a trusted tool for research. As the afternoon sessions and poster session wrapped up, the conference moved to the Munich Residenz, one of Germany's largest palace complexes and the setting for tonight's State Reception. Researchers, speakers, and guests from across Europe gathered in its historic halls, exchanging ideas in surroundings that were far from the average conference dinner venue. Our sincere thanks to the Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft, Landesentwicklung und Energie and the Bavarian State Minister for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, and Deputy Minister-President of Bavaria Hubert Aiwanger, as well as Fabian Theis, Scientific Director of Helmholtz AI, for making this special evening possible. One more day to go, and we already have the feeling that #HAICON26 is passing far too quickly. The final DAY 3 is coming tomorrow; see you soon! #HAICON26 #HelmholtzAI #AIforScience