Prof. Mathias Verbeke helps shape the future of AI and lifelong learning

"Artificial Intelligence is a rapidly changing field with a lot of hype surrounding it," Professor Mathias Verbeke opens. "It is essential to set realistic goals and focus on effective problems where AI can actually add value. Although AI is used for many different purposes, it is important to look at where it can really make an impact."

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES LINKED TO THE RISE OF AI

He emphasises that AI is becoming increasingly integrated into other areas of research and is starting to become an integral part of several disciplines, including manufacturing and language, as well as real estate and healthcare. He notes that this brings both interesting opportunities and potential risks. "AI is becoming more accessible to people outside the field, which is positive, but at the same time it can lead to misuse of AI technologies. Therefore, it is crucial to make people aware of the methodology behind AI so that they can make informed choices when applying these technologies."

STRENGTHEN THE ROLE OF AI WITHIN YOUR COMPANY WITH HANDS-ON EDUCATION

As part of the postgraduate programme Artificial Intelligence in Business and Industry and the Advanced Master of the same name, Mathias Verbeke imparts a deep understanding of AI technologies to professionals from various sectors. He stresses the importance of combining domain knowledge with AI skills to tackle complex problems. ‘By tutoring people from different backgrounds on AI, numerous opportunities for innovation and growth arise, both for individuals and companies.’

Within the courses, Professor Verbeke focuses on fundamental subjects such as ‘Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence’ and ‘Artificial Neural Networks and Deep Learning’. He explains that these subjects lay the foundation for further development within the field. "We offer a wide range of algorithms, with both state-of-the-art techniques within Deep Learning, as well as more traditional algorithms that may be less prominent today, but are still widely used in industrial or business applications. Understanding these techniques allows students to apply them to real problems within their own company."

He illustrates one of the techniques covered in the course by using an example from a hospital context, namely the work scheduling of nurses. This is a classical problem that can be solved using constraint programming. To draw up nurses' work schedules, you must consider numerous constraints such as working hours, holiday periods and number of shifts. By formalising these constraints and then using optimisation algorithms, you effortlessly produce the most optimal schedule for the hospital. Translating theory into concrete cases helps participants apply the learned concepts directly in real-life situations, thus better understanding the applications of AI in the real world.

COOPERATION BETWEEN SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY: THE KEY TO AI DEVELOPMENT

In addition to his role as a lecturer for the Postgraduate and Advanced Master's, Mathias Verbeke is also a member of PUC - KU Leuven Continue's AI advisory group. The advisory group helps our programme coordinators to analyse current trends, identify industry needs and co-develop relevant courses. Mathias emphasises that this is precisely where the value of collaboration between academic institutions and companies lies. This way, we meet the growing demand for AI expertise in various sectors and can respond to current training needs.

With his efforts, Professor Mathias Verbeke is helping shape the future of AI and lifelong learning, something he himself strongly believes in. "For me, lifelong learning is obviously fuelled by research. You read papers, go to conferences, and are in contact with colleagues who keep you abreast of new techniques." But Artificial Intelligence is a broad field in rapid evolution and it is impossible to keep up with everything in detail. Nevertheless, he continues to strive for a holistic understanding of various aspects of AI, which helps him to effectively convey his knowledge to his students and contribute to the further development of the field.