Abstract Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) accounts for 75% of all skin cancers. Currently, all major public hospitals in Spain have a dermatology care protocol that includes teledermatology. This has created an overload for hospital dermatologists, which could be alleviated with an AI tool for prioritization. Several AI systems have been proposed for this purpose, but the lack of transparent diagnostic explanations limits their clinical acceptance and implementation. This fact motivates the present study, which aims to develop an AI tool focused on detecting BCC from dermoscopic images incorporating dermatologist diagnostic criteria to enhance reliability. Specifically, the BCC diagnostic criterium is that a lesion is not considered BCC if it exhibits pigment network pattern, and that a lesion is considered BCC if it exhibits at least one of these BCC patterns: ulceration, ovoid nest, multi globules, maple-leaf, spoke wheel, arborizing telangiectasia. We analyzed 1,559 dermoscopic images collected from 60 primary care centers in Andalusia. Four dermatologists annotated the images as exhibiting or not each of the seven possible BCC patterns. As there is no established Ground Truth to determine the BCC patterns present in a lesion, we propose an Expectation-Maximization consensus algorithm to consolidate the multi-rater annotations into a unified standard reference (SR). As an additional novelty, the system incorporates the symbolic reasoning of dermatologists, who base their diagnoses on BCC patterns shown in lesions. To this end, a multitask learning (MTL) system based on MobileNet-V2 was designed. This system can rapidly triage BCC and non-BCC lesions while providing clinical information justifying this classification. This system also provides GradCAM-based maps to dermatologists to improve its reliability and confidence. Three evaluations were performed on the AI system. First, a performance analysis was conducted to evaluate the AI tool’s ability to classify lesions as BCC or non-BCC. In this analysis, the model achieved
May 19, 2026 · via nature.com
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May 19, 2026 · via youtube.com
Disneyland hit with $5M lawsuit over use of facial recognition technology A Disneyland visitor has filed a $5 million class action lawsuit alleging the Anaheim theme park does not properly disclose the use of facial recognition technology that violates the privacy rights of visitors. Summer Christine Duffield of Riverside County alleges Disneyland and Disney California Adventure violated privacy, competition and consumer protection laws by collecting the biometric data of visitors in the suit filed on May 15 in U.S. District Court in New York. Duffield visited Disneyland and DCA on May 10 with her minor children, according to the lawsuit. “Disney does not adequately disclose the use of their biometric collection, so consumers — which almost always include children — have no idea that Disney is collecting this highly sensitive data,” according to the complaint. “Guests should be able to expressly opt in to this type of sensitive facial recognition technology with written consent — the onus of privacy rights should not be on the victim.” Disneyland and DCA rolled out facial recognition software combined with biometric technology in April at the front entrances of both parks. “We respect and protect our guests’ personal information and dispute the plaintiff’s claims, which we believe are without merit,” according to Disneyland Resort spokesperson Jessica Jakary. Disneyland and DCA offer front entrance lanes that do not use facial recognition software marked by overhead signs with a silhouetted person in a rounded square with a diagonal strikethrough. Signs notifying visitors of the option were posted inside the security screening areas at the Disneyland resort parking structures and lots during the rollout of the high-tech security measure. Disneyland takes photos of daily visitors and annual passholders at park entrances and uses biometric technology to convert the images into unique numerical values. The biometric data compares
May 19, 2026 · via reviewjournal.com
New Zealand is changing the law to make sexualised deepfakes a crime. But this alone may not be enough to counter the rise in AI-generated fake sexual material. By Cassandra Mudgway for The Conversation This week the Deepfake Digital Harm and Exploitation Bill is set to go through its first reading, with support across the political spectrum. The amendment will make creating, sharing or selling sexually explicit deepfakes without consent a criminal offence. It comes in response to the rapid spread of such material, including the rollout of Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot on X, which people used to digitally undress women and girls and generate potentially three million sexualised images. New Zealand is not alone in confronting the problem. The United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea and the United States have already introduced or expanded laws to criminalise the creation and sharing of non-consensual deepfakes. Criminalisation is an important first step and brings New Zealand in line with developments elsewhere. But stemming the tide of sexualised deepfakes will also require regulation of the technology itself. Deepfakes mostly target women Deepfakes are AI-generated images, audio or video designed to make it appear that a real person said or did something that never actually happened. With image-based sexual abuse, this usually means using AI to create convincing but fake sexual material of a person without their consent. Sometimes, technology is used to manipulate ordinary photos pulled from social media into explicit imagery. Other AI systems can generate entirely fabricated sexual content from a text prompt alone. The abuse is overwhelmingly directed at women. One widely cited study found 98% of deepfake videos online were pornographic and mostly targeted women. For victim-survivors, the harms are significant regardless of whether the image is created from a real original or completely fabricated. People report humiliation,
May 19, 2026 · via 1news.co.nz
Disney Faces Class Action Over Facial Recognition Use at California Theme Parks The Walt Disney Company is facing a $5 million class action lawsuit alleging Disneyland and Disney California Adventure failed to properly disclose the use of facial recognition technology at park entrances and collected sensitive biometric data from visitors, including children, without consent. The lawsuit, filed May 15 in federal court in New York, was brought by Riverside County resident Summer Christine Duffield after a May 10 visit to the Anaheim theme parks with her minor children. According to the complaint, Disney’s entrance screening system collects facial scans to convert them into biometric identifiers without adequately informing guests how the technology operates or how their information is stored and used. Court filings claim the parks’ current opt-out process places the burden on visitors to locate separate non-biometric entry lanes rather than requiring affirmative written consent before collecting facial data. The complaint argues that families and minors visiting the parks may not realize biometric information is being collected through the entrance screening process. Disney rolled out the entrance screening technology at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure in April as part of updated security procedures. The system captures visitor photographs at entry points and compares them against ticket or annual pass images associated with guest accounts to verify identity. Separate entrance lanes are available for guests who do not want to participate in the screening process. The company has stated publicly that biometric information collected through the entrance screening system is deleted within 30 days, except when retention is required for legal or fraud prevention purposes. The lawsuit challenges whether those disclosures fully explain how entrance scans interact with ticketing, annual pass photographs, and guest account systems across Disney’s parks and services. At the center of the lawsuit are consent and
May 19, 2026 · via lawcommentary.com
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. David Samuelsen, commanding general of the 108th Training Command, presents the Meritorious Service Medal to Sgt. 1st Class Brenda A. Jackson assigned to108th Training Command, in recognition of being named the U.S. Army Reserve Drill Sergeant of the Year during a ceremony at Fort Riley, Kansas, May 15, 2026. Jackson was recognized for exceptional leadership, dedication and performance while serving as a U.S. Army Reserve drill sergeant. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Malik Waddy-Fiffee)
| Date Taken: | 05.15.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.18.2026 17:17 |
| Photo ID: | 9687066 |
| VIRIN: | 260515-A-NC965-3791 |
| Resolution: | 6268x4477 |
| Size: | 8.82 MB |
| Location: | FORT RILEY, KANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 4 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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May 19, 2026 · via dvidshub.net
Two arrests after police use facial recognition - Published Two people have been arrested after a police force deployed live facial recognition technology for the first time. Cambridgeshire Police said it scanned 34,000 faces, looking for people on its watch list, when it used the cameras in Peterborough city centre on Saturday. Both arrests were for failing to appear at court, with one man accused of theft from a person and the other alleged to have stolen from a shop. Insp Sam Tucker described it as "a successful day", with officers also able to help with other incidents, including a medical emergency. "Our presence in such a busy area of the city received a really positive response - from the public, who were interested in how the technology worked, and Queensgate security and a local shop, which noticed a reduction in crime," he added. The system works by scanning faces from a live camera feed and comparing them in real time with a police watch list, which includes individuals with outstanding arrest warrants and high-risk offenders. The technology maps key facial features into a biometric template to identify potential matches. Any match is then reviewed by an officer, and all images and biometric data are deleted - either immediately or within 24 hours - if no further action is required. Altogether, seven people were identified during the six-hour deployment in Long Causeway and Bridge Street. The others were two registered sex offenders, who were found to be complying with conditions, a woman who was breaching a criminal behaviour order and will be voluntarily interviewed and two further identifications which required no further action, said Cambridgeshire Police. Do you have a story suggestion for Peterborough? Contact us below. Get in touch Your Voice Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, external,
May 19, 2026 · via bbc.co.uk
Paramount is pushing further into artificial intelligence, with the David Ellison-led entertainment company hiring a new head of consumer AI on Monday. Dane Glasgow, the former Meta executive who joined Paramount as chief product officer last year, announced the hiring of Barak Turovsky in a memo to staff, which was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. Turovsky will be executive VP and head of consumer AI for the company “He joins at a critical time in our company’s evolution as we look to scale AI and ML to meaningfully drive our growth,” Glasgow wrote in his memo. “He will be responsible for growing our AI / ML team and their capacity as we attract some of the best talent available. Barak and team will also explore ways to leverage AI to improve personalization, content discovery, platform intelligence, consumer engagement, and monetization capabilities across Paramount+ and Pluto TV.” Turovsky was most recently chief AI officer for General Motors, and before that worked in AI roles at Cisco, Trax, and Google, where he spent more than a decade. Ellison has made investing in technology a centerpiece of his thesis for turning Paramount around, and for bringing in Warner Bros. Discovery, a $111 billion mega-deal that is still in process. “Unless you can build a tech product that is truly competitive with what’s coming out of Silicon Valley, you can’t compete,” Ellison told reporters last year after the Paramount deal closed.. “And that has been one of the big problems that’s been facing legacy media, is they don’t actually understand that skill set and how critical that is, and that it is actually a combination of great content working with tech product hand in hand, that is how you actually get this business growing and scaling again, and you need both.” “I don’t think
May 19, 2026 · via hollywoodreporter.com
This spring the Disneyland Resort implemented facial recognition at its main gates to both of its parks. The technology is utilized to combat fraud and also make the entrance process quicker and easier for guests. As guests walk into areas near entrances to the parks (the esplanade or Downtown Disney District entrance at the Monorail) signs can be seen that share about the technology and share how guests can opt out of utilizing the technology to enter the parks. The technology uses photos to compare images connected with a ticket or Magic Key. As the technology has moved from a period of testing to more regular use, Disney has been hit with a class action lawsuit. The lawsuit says that Disney is violating privacy, competition, and consumer protection laws with the technology at Disneyland. According to what was filed in California federal court on Friday, the complaint says that Disney “does not adequately disclose the use of their biometric collection, so consumers – which almost always include children – have no idea that Disney is collecting this highly sensitive data.” The lawsuit also says that there isn’t a proper disclosure to guests about the dates that is being collected. It notes that there are signs of a slash through the graphic of a person at four entrances where guests can avoid utilizing the technology. The lawsuit says that this does not provide meaningful notice for guests. It is unknown if the lawsuit takes into account the signs that guests pass while making their way to the entrances. “Guests should be able to expressly opt in to this type of sensitive facial recognition technology with written consent – the onus of privacy rights should not be on the victim,” writes Blake Yagman, a lawyer for the proposed class of visitors, in
May 19, 2026 · via dapsmagic.com
A Disneyland visitor has filed a $5 million class action lawsuit alleging the Anaheim theme park does not properly disclose the use of facial recognition technology that violates the privacy rights of visitors. Summer Christine Duffield of Riverside County alleges Disneyland and Disney California Adventure violated privacy, competition and consumer protection laws by collecting the biometric data of visitors in the suit filed on May 15 in U.S. District Court in New York. Duffield visited Disneyland and DCA on May 10 with her minor children, according to the lawsuit. “Disney does not adequately disclose the use of their biometric collection, so consumers — which almost always include children — have no idea that Disney is collecting this highly sensitive data,” according to the complaint. “Guests should be able to expressly opt in to this type of sensitive facial recognition technology with written consent — the onus of privacy rights should not be on the victim.” “We respect and protect our guests’ personal information and dispute the plaintiff’s claims, which we believe are without merit,” according to Disneyland Resort spokesperson Jessica Jakary. Disneyland and DCA offer front entrance lanes that do not use facial recognition software marked by overhead signs with a silhouetted person in a rounded square with a diagonal strikethrough. Signs notifying visitors of the option were posted inside the security screening areas at the Disneyland resort parking structures and lots during the rollout of the high-tech security measure. Disneyland takes photos of daily visitors and annual passholders at park entrances and uses biometric technology to convert the images into unique numerical values. The biometric data compares the numerical values to find a facial match with the photo saved when a ticket or annual pass was first used. Disney deletes all biometric numerical values within 30 days, except in
May 19, 2026 · via hanfordsentinel.com
260514-N-CF730-1054 NAVAL BASE SAN DIEGO (May 14, 2026) Capt. Brian Bungay, commanding officer, Naval Base San Diego (NBSD), right, congratulates Sailors for their performance for the 2026 Pacific Fleet Rifle and Pistol Championships Rifle Team Match winning second and third place during an award ceremony at Admiral Robinson Recreational Center, May 14, 2026. Established in 1922, NBSD is the largest West coast naval installation and principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, supporting more than 60 combatant and auxiliary surface ships and more than 250 shore commands. (U.S. Navy photo by Interior Communications Electrician 2nd Class Ulrika Mendiola)
| Date Taken: | 05.14.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.18.2026 15:35 |
| Photo ID: | 9687155 |
| VIRIN: | 260514-N-CF730-1054 |
| Resolution: | 6395x5099 |
| Size: | 11.05 MB |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 4 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Sailors First: Recognizing Excellence Ashore [Image 5 of 5], by PO2 Ulrika Mendiola, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
May 19, 2026 · via dvidshub.net
A Disneyland visitor has filed a $5 million class action lawsuit alleging the Anaheim theme park does not properly disclose the use of facial recognition technology that violates the privacy rights of visitors. Summer Christine Duffield of Riverside County alleges Disneyland and Disney California Adventure violated privacy, competition and consumer protection laws by collecting the biometric data of visitors in the suit filed on May 15 in U.S. District Court in New York. ALSO SEE: Soarin’ Across America: Scene-by-scene look at new Disneyland ride Duffield visited Disneyland and DCA on May 10 with her minor children, according to the lawsuit. “Disney does not adequately disclose the use of their biometric collection, so consumers — which almost always include children — have no idea that Disney is collecting this highly sensitive data,” according to the complaint. “Guests should be able to expressly opt in to this type of sensitive facial recognition technology with written consent — the onus of privacy rights should not be on the victim.” Disneyland and DCA rolled out facial recognition software combined with biometric technology in April at the front entrances of both parks. “We respect and protect our guests’ personal information and dispute the plaintiff’s claims, which we believe are without merit,” according to Disneyland Resort spokesperson Jessica Jakary. ALSO SEE: Disneyland files confidential building permits for Toy Story parking lot Disneyland and DCA offer front entrance lanes that do not use facial recognition software marked by overhead signs with a silhouetted person in a rounded square with a diagonal strikethrough. Signs notifying visitors of the option were posted inside the security screening areas at the Disneyland resort parking structures and lots during the rollout of the high-tech security measure. Disneyland takes photos of daily visitors and annual passholders at park entrances and uses biometric technology
May 19, 2026 · via ocregister.com
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. David Samuelsen, commanding general of the 108th Training Command, presents the Meritorious Service Medal to Sgt. 1st Class Brenda A. Jackson assigned to 108th Training Command, in recognition of being named the U.S. Army Reserve Drill Sergeant of the Year during a ceremony at Fort Riley, Kansas May 15, 2026. Jackson was recognized for exceptional leadership, dedication and performance while serving as a U.S. Army Reserve drill sergeant. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Malik Waddy-Fiffee)
| Date Taken: | 05.15.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.18.2026 17:17 |
| Photo ID: | 9687063 |
| VIRIN: | 260515-A-NC965-6661 |
| Resolution: | 4276x4276 |
| Size: | 5.56 MB |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 0 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, U.S. Army Reserve Drill Sergeant of the Year [Image 5 of 5], by SPC Malik Waddy-Fiffee, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
May 19, 2026 · via dvidshub.net
Retailer Bunnings has implemented facial recognition technology (FRT) across all of its North Island stores in a move it says will help reduce retail crime and keep its staff and customers safe. The latest phase of the nationwide rollout came into effect today, expanding the technology to a further 32 North Island stores following an earlier trial at two of its Hamiton locations in mid-April. Bunnings said the technology was intended to provide a proactive warning to staff when a serious repeat offender entered the store. Melissa Haines, Bunnings General Manager New Zealand, said the technology would protect team members and customers, as well as reduce the number of threatening incidents by repeat offenders. “Our Hamilton rollout has given us a positive foundation, and during this initial phase we’ve focused on responsible implementation, including through team training, our internal processes and community engagement, and this gives us confidence to use FRT across our North Island stores”, she said. Haines said that staff, not the technology itself, would make the final call when it came to identifying potential offenders. “Threatening incidents in our New Zealand stores have more than doubled over the last four years, and we’re using a range of measures to keep our team and customers safe. “FRT is an additional tool that helps us address this rising problem by identifying serious repeat offenders and allowing us to act early to prevent incidents.” Bunnings said it would continue engaging with customers and Māori communities throughout the rollout, to explain how the technology worked and why it was being used. It was also working with a Māori sovereignty expert and had incorporated tikanga Māori principles as a part of the approach. The company previously said the rollout was designed after it reviewed the Office of the Privacy Commissioner's (OPC) findings
May 18, 2026 · via 1news.co.nz
Session
Self-Healing Product Catalogs: Drift-Aware Computer Vision for Retail & CPG on Databricks
Overview
| Experience | In Person |
|---|
Product catalogs are living things — new packaging, regional variants, seasonal SKUs are always cycling through — and every change impacts the model's accuracy. Neurolabs runs image recognition across 20,000+ SKUs in 28 markets, generating millions of shelf crops every month. Most are routine; only a handful contain the signal that makes the next model better — a new pack variant, a misclassified flavour, a confused competitor. We've moved that selection loop onto Databricks. Inference results land in Delta, every crop is scored for training value, and Unity Catalog governs which crops feed the next model and surfaces catalog-health metrics back to the CPG brands that own the SKUs. The result: a product catalog that heals itself, and a computer vision model that gets sharper with every shelf photo.
May 18, 2026 · via databricks.com
Disney faces a class action lawsuit over facial recognition tech The complaint says park visitors don’t get sufficient notice they’re being scanned. Disney is being sued over use of facial recognition technology at its amusement parks. The class action lawsuit alleges that the entertainment brand does not adequately inform guests that it scans people's faces at the entrances to Disneyland and California Adventure. The complaint is seeking at least $5 million on behalf of park visitors. "Guests should be able to expressly opt in to this type of sensitive facial recognition technology with written consent — the onus of privacy rights should not be on the victim," writes Blake Yagman, a lawyer for the proposed class of visitors, in the complaint. "Given how sensitive facial recognition data is, explicit written consent should be required to protect the privacy guests at Disney Theme Parks." Disney introduced facial recognition systems at the two parks in April. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney's policy is to dispose of the data it acquires from those platforms within 30 days. However, the suit argues that may not be accurate "given the biometric information is compared to when guests first bought tickets or annual passes and associated their pictures with those tickets or passes."
May 18, 2026 · via engadget.com
Chicago, IL (CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS) – Backers of a bill aimed at limiting law enforcement’s use of biometric surveillance say they’re not looking to move the measure this legislative session. House Bill 5521, the proposed Biometric Surveillance Act, would prohibit law enforcement agencies from using or accessing facial recognition tools. But it failed to meet a March 27 committee deadline and was sent back to the House Rules committee the same day a man suspected of killing a Loyola University freshman was arrested with the help of facial recognition, according to authorities. Advocates for the bill say they are wary of debates happening in the wake of major news events, which can emphasize the technology’s role in investigations over its risks, including misidentification of individuals and expanded surveillance. Stakeholders say surveillance programs always represent a tradeoff between perceived public safety benefits and privacy concerns. “Used well, it’s a lead that can be used in conjunction with other evidence to break open a case,” said Matthew Kugler, a professor at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law who studies how public perceptions of biometric tools shape regulation. “Used badly, it is overly trusting of an artificial intelligence system and just outsourcing one’s thinking to it entirely.” Biometric data in Illinois Biometric data broadly refers to information based on unique physical characteristics that can be used to identify individuals, such as facial features, fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints. HB 5521 primarily targets facial recognition tools, allowing fingerprinting and forensic evidence collection at crime scenes to continue. Illinois has long had one of the nation’s strongest biometric privacy laws, according to the ACLU of Illinois. Passed unanimously in 2008, the Biometric Information Privacy Act restricts how private companies can collect and use biometric data. But the law does not apply to government entities, leaving
May 18, 2026 · via capitolcitynow.com
Disney has been sued for deploying facial recognition technology at park entrances to verify tickets. A class action accuses the entertainment giant of violating privacy, competition and consumer protection laws by implementing the technology at Disneyland, where photographs of guests’ faces are taken and compared with images when they first used the ticket or annual pass. The company “does not adequately disclose the use of their biometric collection, so consumers – which almost always include children – have no idea that Disney is collecting this highly sensitive data,” reads the complaint, filed in California federal court on Friday. The lawsuit challenges a trend spreading across major sports and entertainment venues of using facial recognition to prevent fraud, heighten safety and facilitate purchases. Sports stadiums lean on it to streamline entry; theme parks utilize it to manage crowd flow; and security for some musicians rely on it to identify stalkers. But mass adoption of the technology has sparked some concern over the specter of a privatized surveillance state and the commercialization of sensitive personal information. Madison Square Garden uses it to ban entry for the “enemies” of its owner, James Dolan. There have also been instances of companies turning over biometric data to law enforcement. Disney implemented in April facial recognition at the entrance of Disneyland and sister park California Adventure. Most visitors opt into having their faces scanned, unaware of the technology. Company officials have said that it helps make entering and reentering the park easier and prevents fraud. The lawsuit alleges that Disney doesn’t properly disclose to guests that it collects the data. There are signs of a slash through a silhouette at four entrances that allow visitors to avoid the technology, but the lawsuit says that it doesn’t constitute meaningful notice. “Guests should be able to expressly opt
May 18, 2026 · via hollywoodreporter.com
In short: A US jury has ruled against Elon Musk in his lawsuit against OpenAI, Sam Altman and Microsoft. The Tesla chief executive alleged that Open AI and its boss had strayed from the company's core mission. OpenAI was founded by Mr Altman, Mr Musk and several others in 2015. A US jury has ruled against Elon Musk in his lawsuit against OpenAI, finding the artificial intelligence company not liable to the world's richest person for having allegedly strayed from its original mission to benefit humanity. In a unanimous verdict, the jury in Oakland, California federal court said Mr Musk had brought his case too late. The trial began on April 28. It has widely been seen as a critical moment for the future of OpenAI and artificial intelligence generally, both in how it should be used and who should benefit from it, including financially. In his 2024 lawsuit, Mr Musk accused OpenAI, chief executive Sam Altman and president Greg Brockman of manipulating him into giving $US38 million ($53 million), then going behind his back by attaching a for-profit business to its original nonprofit and accepting tens of billions of dollars from Microsoft and other investors. Mr Musk called the OpenAI defendants' conduct "stealing a charity". OpenAI was founded by Mr Altman, Mr Musk and several others in 2015. Mr Musk left its board in 2018, and OpenAI set up a for-profit business the next year. People use AI for myriad purposes including education, facial recognition, financial advice, journalism, legal research, medical diagnoses and the creation of deceptive deepfakes. Many people express distrust of the technology and worry it could displace people from their jobs. The verdict followed 11 days of testimony and arguments where Mr Musk's and Mr Altman's credibility came under repeated attack. Each side accused the other
May 18, 2026 · via abc.net.au
Interview “The bottleneck that all teams have to navigate” The Helmholtz Foundation Model Initiative (HFMI), launched two years ago, supports AI projects focused on processing enormous amounts of data. In this interview, AI expert Dagmar Kainmueller offers an interim assessment—including her own HFMI project, AqQua. Ms. Kainmueller, two years ago, funding began for the first projects under the Helmholtz Foundation Model Initiative (HFMI). What is your interim assessment? In my view, the HFMI is a huge success. In a relatively short time, we have built a highly motivated interdisciplinary community with an extremely steep learning curve. The expertise gained in this way is incredibly valuable and will remain so, even after the project period ends. And it has gained significant international visibility. In what way? One example is the Helmholtz-ELLIS Workshop, which we organized in Berlin in the spring of 2025. ELLIS stands for “European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems” and is, so to speak, the flagship among European AI research networks. The event was highly productive and brought together representatives from a wide range of scientific disciplines, leading AI researchers, and high-profile speakers from global players such as Meta and Microsoft Research. In addition, the European Commission has cited the HFMI as a case study and now uses it as a reference for its own activities in the field of “Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Science.” In June, we will jointly hold a workshop in Brussels with newly funded EU pilot projects. There is great interest in our experiences and insights. What is the status of the HFMI research projects? The four projects funded from the outset have largely compiled their datasets, trained initial models on them, and are currently working on testing and refining them. A particularly advanced example is the “Human Radiome Project” (THRP), which is developing
May 18, 2026 · via helmholtz.de