February 18, 2025

The Winter School in Artificial Intelligence and Software Engineering was recently held at the University of Science and Technology of Doha (UDST), bringing together experts, academics, and technology enthusiasts to explore the latest advancements in these fields. The event provided a platform for exchanging ideas, presenting innovative research, and discussing the future of artificial intelligence (AI) and software engineering.

A Diverse and Enriching Program

The winter school’s program featured a variety of sessions covering key topics such as generative artificial intelligence, AI ethics, and advanced software development methodologies. These sessions were designed to offer participants a deep understanding of current trends and practical applications of AI across various sectors.

Notable Participation of Professionals

Among the distinguished speakers were Laura Lloret, Fernando Aguilar, Judith Saínz-Pardo who shared their knowledge and experiences through specialized lectures and workshops.

• Laura Lloret: Delivered a keynote titled «The eyes of AI», focusing on image processing through artificial intelligence techniques. Her presentation highlighted how AI can transform the way we interpret and analyze visual data.

• Fernando Aguilar and Judith Sáinz-Pardo conducted a practical workshop on image processing using AI. The workshop was divided into two parts: the first provided an introduction to image processing with AI, and the second focused on federated learning and its application in this field, both topics in which AI4EOSC is making significant contributions. Participants had the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of this technique and observe practical demonstrations using Python.

Focus on Federated Learning

Federated learning is a machine learning methodology that enables training algorithms on decentralized datasets located on peripheral devices or servers without the need to transfer data to a central server. This approach is particularly valuable in contexts where data privacy and security are paramount, such as in healthcare or finance. By keeping data at its source, the risks associated with transferring and centrally storing sensitive information are minimized.

Boost to the AI4EOSC Project

Participation in this event aligns with the initiatives of AI4EOSC (Artificial Intelligence for the European Open Science Cloud), a platform that integrates federated learning into its operations. This Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning technique allows AI models to be trained in a distributed manner, ensuring user data privacy. The presence of AI4EOSC representatives at the winter school not only provided greater visibility to the project but also strengthened its positioning in the field of artificial intelligence. AI4EOSC aims to deliver an enhanced set of services for developing AI, ML, and DL models and applications within the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). These services incorporate advanced features such as distributed, federated, and split learning; provenance metadata; event-driven data processing services; and the provisioning of AI/ML/DL services based on serverless computing.

The Winter School in Artificial Intelligence and Software Engineering at UDST established itself as a key space for learning, collaboration, and innovation. Events like this are essential for promoting technological advancement and encouraging practices that respect data privacy and security in the development of AI-based solutions.