Computer scientist Zeynep Akata Schulz was awarded the Krupp Sponsorship Prize in Essen on Thursday for her outstanding research in the field of artificial intelligence. It is endowed with one million euros. The 37-year-old Akata Schulz has been a professor of explainable machine learning at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen since 2019.
Explainable machine learning offers explanations so that people can understand how and why an artificial intelligence (AI) made a certain decision, said the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation. This strengthens trust in AI, enables users to recognize errors and contributes to responsible decisions.
Akata Schulz is committed to making the decisions of AI systems understandable and more tangible, emphasized the chairwoman of the Krupp Foundation’s board of trustees, Ursula Gather, according to the text of the speech that was distributed in advance. “Their work is not just theoretical, but has the potential to increase society’s confidence in the transformative power of this technology and to make technological advances acceptable.”
The award has been offered annually since 1986 to young scientists who hold a first professorship in natural and engineering sciences at a German university. The award winners receive the money in the form of personnel and material resources over five years. The Krupp Foundation selection committee selected Akata Schulz from 36 suggestions.
Announcement from the Krupp Foundation in June
