When I was young, my family often played the card game Skat. This involved adding up card values, which I believe planted the seed for me to later study Mathematics (Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, 2010-2016). Mathematics now serves as a strong background for all my ongoing work. I became increasingly fascinated by machine learning and AI, so I went on to do a PhD in machine learning. Here, I worked with Joachim Giesen and from him I learned many fascinating things that still influence me.
During my PhD, I was also part of the machine-learning group at the DLR Institute of Data-Science. Here, uncertainty and explainability in AI were big topics. I started developing my interest in human-first AI. For example, our NeurIPS paper about structuring uncertainty keeps humans in the loop. By presenting uncertainty about image segmentations in a meaningful way to users, we added a layer of explainability.
In 2022, I started working for the global photonics company Jenoptik, where I help building a central AI team. We have two focus areas:
- industrial AI: We apply AI techniques to manufacturing problems like predictive maintenance of machines and the automation of inspection tasks. Trustworthiness is vital for acceptance of AI solutions, like transparent AI decisions.
- self-hosting generative AI services (like a chatbot).
For both areas, educating and supporting our employees is a key aspect of my work. I am a firm believer of human-first AI that respects employee needs. Overall, as a team, we support and drive the AI transition in our company.
For me, AI is not just work: It is a passion. Beyond my primary work to implement responsible AI at Jenoptik, I maintain my curiosity and interest in AI research.
Finally and besides, I perform magic. It’s a curious coincident that AI is often considered magic. So there is a confluence in the things I do: AI is like magic, except it is real. I find the human capacity to wonder fascinating. Through my work, I aim to foster a culture of connection and compassion in the age of AI, and create opportunities for human wonder.