Bielefeld is currently celebrating science: as part of GENIALE 2025, the Wissenswerkstadt (Knowledge Workshop) invites visitors to experience, try out and question artificial intelligence (AI) under the motto ‘AI and Us’. The science festival is aimed at all generations and offers a diverse programme of workshops, exhibitions and hands-on activities from September to November – free of charge and right in the heart of Bielefeld. The aim is to create spaces for exchange, understanding and informed opinion-forming around AI.
One highlight of the programme was the Science Slam ‘AI vs. Head’ organised by inIT, which attracted more than 200 guests to the Wissenswerkstadt. Sinem Görmez, research associate in the Human-Technology Interaction research group headed by Prof. Dr. mult. Carsten Röcker, developed a format as part of the SAIL project that combined entertainment, exciting facts and creative insights into the project's main areas of research.
Science, but entertaining!
Young scientists from the SAIL research network gave entertaining presentations on the topic of sustainable artificial intelligence, with some being traditional, some musical and some interactive.
Topics ranged from ‘Can ChatGPT just answer my questionnaire?’ to the ecological footprint of AI and the social and ethical implications of current AI trends. The musical highlight of the evening was the song ‘A Robot Friend for You’, written and performed by Sinem Görmez. It offered a humorous yet thoughtful perspective on collaborative robotics.
As well as the researchers, AI itself was in the spotlight in the form of several AI slams, in which generative models presented their own texts on topics such as the life cycle of AI, its ecological footprint, and its use in school lessons. These were then discussed to show how humans and machines approach topics differently and the creative impulses that can arise from this.
This made research tangible in an entertaining way, demonstrating the versatility and vibrancy of the project's approach.
When AI meets Mind – and both win!
The Science Slam was a huge hit with the audience, who enjoyed the combination of humour, knowledge and surprising perspectives. The event received sustained applause and sparked lively discussions afterwards. Many visitors were impressed by how accessible and entertaining complex research topics could be.
“Our goal was to show science in a different light: approachable, creative, and open to experimentation,” explains Sinem Görmez. ‘The combination of human and AI-generated contributions demonstrated the diversity of perception surrounding artificial intelligence. It was particularly nice to see how open and curious the audience was to both perspectives.”
Interdisciplinary research network SAIL
SAIL is an interdisciplinary and interinstitutional collaboration between Bielefeld University, Paderborn University, Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and Arts and the Technische Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe, and is funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.