The online conference, titled “Artificial Intelligence and Science: The Role of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts,” hosted by the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA) and Alma Mater Europaea University, brought together leading experts from EASA and other renowned academic institutions.

Participants discussed the transformative role of artificial intelligence in the humanities, medicine, the arts, the natural sciences, the social sciences, law, economics, religion, and the technical and environmental sciences. The conference provided an in-depth insight into how artificial intelligence is searching approaches, creative processes, and social structures, as well as the opportunities and challenges it presents, transforming research for the future.

Professor Dr. Verica Trstenjak, vice-president of EASA and chair of the conference, emphasized in her opening address why the event is so important: »It is crucial because of the level of development of artificial intelligence. Science is the driving force of society, so we must improve it with our knowledge as well. This conference aims to connect scientists from different fields and discuss the challenges in the area of artificial intelligence. We must treat artificial intelligence as a tool, but the human spirit is still the engine of the future. Albert Einstein’s idea that the human spirit must prevail over technology is, in my opinion, essential for the future in all fields of science, especially for the topic we are discussing today. Let this be our guiding principle, the guiding principle of all of us, scientists.«

What is artificial intelligence?

The keynote speaker of the conference was Professor Dr. Klaus Mainzer, the president of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, who answered the question of what artificial intelligence is in science and technology as follows: modern artificial intelligence is machine learning, and machine learning is primarily inspired by the way our brains learn. A neural network, by the way, is divided into layers, similar to the neocortex of the human brain, and data flow is triggered by learning algorithms. For example, supervised learning means that the system is initially trained with a particular photograph composed of a set of pixels, which are adjusted with weights. After this training, the system can recognize previously learned photographs among a vast number of other images or faces. Reinforcement learning enables the system to improve its solution by utilizing rewards from the environment. This is similar to a child in a classroom being corrected by a teacher. Today’s neural networks in the real world are very complex. They are composed of millions of neurons and billions of synapses, and not just six layers, like the human brain, but hundreds and thousands of layers. Today, we no longer train only large language models, but also large visual models, large sensory models, and large motor models. This is happening in modern robotics. And all these large datasets are aligned with well-known learning algorithms. The future will be such that all these already existing digital, AI-supported infrastructures will converge. The healthcare system is crucial. It is not enough to have high technology in surgery. Today, we need digital communication. 

We live in a time of wars. That is a fact. And today, a defense system would not be possible without the support of AI tools. Europe is under pressure—politically, economically, militarily, and so on. Europe must avoid excessive regulation and bureaucracy that stifle innovation and competitiveness. Otherwise, and this is a great danger today, European sovereignty is at risk. The biggest concern about artificial intelligence today, I think, is the fact that AI encroaches on our human identity.
Dr. Klaus Mainzer

Professor Dr. Boštjan Turk from the University of Ljubljana highlighted the fact that artificial intelligence is no longer just a tool, but a partner in creation, which challenges our understanding of authorship, originality, and imagination itself. In today’s session, we will therefore explore how these technologies are reshaping literature, music, art, and visual expression, and how they encourage us—as scientists, artists, thinkers, and researchers—to rethink the boundaries of artistic practice.

Humanistic values as a prerequisite

Professor Dr. Igor Maver, University of Ljubljana: Today, we can say that there are two groups of people: those who are very supportive of artificial intelligence and those who are quite reserved about it, especially in the field of art and textual creativity. The question arises whether the future literary author will become merely an editor of texts created by AI robots and large language models. Progress is irreversible and unstoppable, but AI systems must be aligned with humanistic values. These must also be present in the process of their deep learning. Advanced language models will remain among us, but the priority must remain that humanity retains complete control. In machine translation, it is necessary to distinguish between non-literary texts, where AI can be handy, and literary or creative texts. In literary translation, a utilitarian approach is insufficient because the result must always be an artistic, aesthetic, and ethical experience that provides human pleasure, which AI cannot credibly imitate.

The future of AI and the global infrastructure race

Professor Dr. Martin Hörmann, Director for Government Affairs and Public Policy, Microsoft Austria: »In 36 days, the world will reach a new milestone. And without a doubt, the world is very different than it was in 2000. If there is one thing that is clear about the last 25 years, it is that technology advances. Even when we look back at the previous century—wars, flu, pandemics, depression, and so on—technology continued to move forward. The big question for us as a society, and also for Microsoft, is what the next quarter-century will bring. We have given this a lot of thought and published a report on the diffusion of artificial intelligence two weeks ago. It is clear that, just three years after the start of the generative AI revolution, AI will be one of the key drivers of the next 25 years.«

Generative AI has exploded. It is the fastest spread of a technology in human history. Today, we have 1.2 billion users of generative AI worldwide. And yet, we should consider and remember the impact when these technologies do not reach everyone. Every night in Africa, 43% of the continent—that is, 700 million people—have no access to electricity.
Dr. Martin Hörmann

“When we observe the world and when we report the data, there is a debate already taking place around the globe: it is a race to build infrastructure. Which country has the most? The United States of America and China together account for 43% of globally installed data center gigawatts. It is clear that for AI to exist, data centers are necessary. But the truth is that there is another essential element in this debate: the future belongs to those who use AI, and who use it better than anyone else.«

Mag. Barbara Ofner from LexisNexis Austria presented how generative artificial intelligence is reshaping legal work. She explained that their models are trained by practitioners from government institutions, corporations, and other environments, who test new functionalities, create their own prompts, check quality, and collaborate with their data scientists. Among the use cases, she highlighted drafting, where AI makes a first proposal in a few seconds, which the user then augments with their own expertise. A critical use case is also the summarization of extensive court cases: by entering the case number, the system returns a brief overview of key information. “The fourth use case is the analysis of the opposing party’s documents: the user uploads the document, and the system prepares a summary or answers questions related to the received material.”

Challenges of AI in medicine

Professor Dr. Björn Brücher, professor at the Medical University of Lausitz–Carl Thiem and a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA), focused on artificial intelligence in medicine: “We live in a time of opportunism—in politics, society, and science. We have politically proclaimed goals and directions in the field of artificial intelligence, but we must face reality. What has actually happened in healthcare, which concerns us all? In fact, the number of hospital beds has decreased by 20%. Patient services have been curtailed to save money, while the number of treatments, in the millions, has increased by almost 30%. The length of hospital stays has decreased by 40%. The number of births in this 22-year period, which I analyzed in conjunction with a nurse from Austria, has remained almost the same, resulting in less time devoted to patients. Money has been saved, and jobs have also been created. At the same time, the number of administrative staff has increased steadily compared to that of physicians. I think that is not insignificant. We are still waiting for healthcare professionals and politicians to take the lead.

The administrative burden of documentation currently accounts for 40% of doctors’ and nurses’ time. Our great hope is that this will be reduced, as various organizations and professional associations promise, and that digitalization will really address it. We shall see.”

“In parallel, the global electronic health records market has increased, and by 2035, it is expected to reach 93 billion dollars, with an annual growth rate of 88.6%. That is the reality: money rules the world, and money will also rule healthcare.”
Prof. dr. Björn Brücher

Prof. Alberto de Franceschi, professor at the University of Ferrara and KU Leuven, an EASA member, presented the legal framework for artificial intelligence in the EU: »I think it is imperative that the last word, the final decision, is always in the hands of a human being and not artificial intelligence. However, a significant question remains unanswered: if a doctor or surgeon fails to follow the advice of an AI system, can this be considered a breach of due care, and could it lead to liability? I would say no, but this is still subject to interpretation. Article 7 of Italian Law No. 132 of 2025, adopted at the end of October, addresses this issue precisely and defines an exclusively instrumental and supportive role for AI systems, reaffirming the primacy of human decision-making, which is always left to healthcare professionals. The law also introduces the so-called Electronic Health Record for the digital management of healthcare. The platform will provide support services to healthcare workers and include AI suggestions, but it will be clearly stipulated that these suggestions are not binding. This is a step forward in the direction you mention—that the last word is in human hands. Of course, the question then arises: if a human has the last word and it turns out that their decision is wrong, does that mean a breach of professional standards? I hope not, as I am very much in favor of not overburdening doctors; otherwise, they would feel very constrained in their work.«

At the critical conference, many other distinguished experts and members of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts shared their opinions and expertise: Igor Maver (University of Ljubljana), Christopher Lindinger (Mozarteum University Salzburg), Xiaohui Wang (Art Center, Tongji University, EASA member), Björn Brücher (MedUni Lausitz–Carl Thiem, EASA member), Filipe Raposo (University of Lisbon), Ioannis Liritzis (vice-president of EASA from November 2025), Matej Mertik (Alma Mater Europaea, Maribor), Addison Wang (NTU Singapore), Alberto de Franceschi (University of Ferrara and KU Leuven, EASA member) and Paul van Geest (Erasmus University Rotterdam, EASA member).