The HumanE-AI-Net project brings together leading European research centers, universities and industrial enterprises into a network of centers of excellence that goes beyond the narrow definition of artificial intelligence (hereinafter referred to as “AI”) and combines leading global AI laboratories with key players in related areas such as human-computer interaction science, cognitive science, social science, or the science of complexity. This is linked to a European strategy that focuses on human-centered artificial intelligence.

“We have been involved in international projects dealing with natural language processing and spoken language since the early 1990s. The mandate of representing this area in HumanE-AI-Net is a success, but also a commitment to continue our top research in this area, while extending it in a multidisciplinary way, as the project assumes,” Jan Hajič from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University said. The project is led by the German Artificial Intelligence Research Centre (DFKI) in Saarbrücken, with whom Charles University has a long-term cooperation in the EU Framework Programs and the Horizon 2020 Program. ”AI and language technology research will be conducted in HumanE-AI-Net through joint microprojects, which aim to achieve completely new results and new research questions through unconventional experiments, which will at the same time force participants to leave the 'comfort bubble' in which they usually move with their research. HumanE-AI-Net is also a networking project aimed at preparing major AI projects in the planned Horizon Europe program,” explained Hajič, who is also chairman of the pan-European association META-NET (Multilingual Europe Technology Alliance Network).