Innovation Origins Sunday Newsletter: AI, Carnival, and Women in Science

2024-02-11 09:16:00

In our Sunday newsletter, we as editors look back on the past seven days. We do this at the initiative of our cartoonist Albert Jan Rasker. He chooses a subject, makes a drawing and we take it from there.

Of course there is that agreement – ​​it’s called Innovation Origins. Not only do we combine a wide range of topics, but we always know how to connect them to real-life issues and the needs for our future. That is why you will not only find a lot of relevant information about healthcare, but also about our energy challenges, innovative industrial developments and the latest scientific findings. And indeed, artificial intelligence is never far away for all these topics. On the contrary, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find stories without a prominent role for AI.

We had to chuckle a bit at Albert Jan’s choice for this week. He clearly represents the non-carnivalist part of our country. While everyone around our head office in Eindhoven is just wondering how they will dress up again, our cartoonist (who comes from “above the rivers”) chose a less light-hearted subject as the subject of the week. It is about Dutch research that shows how you can significantly shorten the time it takes to see whether an antidepressant works. Yes, that is expensive, but it could possibly make a world of difference for people who need antidepressants. Even as we prepare for tonight’s pub visit, we recognize the enormous importance of this research.

Carnaval

So it’s carnival, the annual three-day party where everyone shakes off all their worries. Music and human emotions play an essential role. Not exactly a place where artificial intelligence is important, you might think. And yet Danny Bloks and Erdinc Sacan, two ICT teachers from Fontys Hogescholen, tried it. Their goal: “To stimulate the discussion about the role of AI in our lives.” Read about their attempt here.

Yet we also understand that there is more to life than a carnival party. Today, February 11, is also International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Attention to this theme is urgently needed because women are still severely underrepresented in scientific positions. Especially in the Netherlands. Worse still, the higher the job level, the more skewed the ratio between women and men. If policy remains unchanged, it will take many decades before this changes. That is why we are pleased to offer you this overview of developments surrounding women in academia. Read it here.

Here you can read what else we noticed this week:

Have a wonderful week!