Artificial intelligence and its impact on contemporary scientific methodology were the subject of the first meeting of the PWr Connect series. The inaugural event was attended by more than 100 researchers from Wrocław University of Science and Technology, while presentations and thematic stands were prepared by researchers from our Faculty.

PWr Connect is a series of meetings aimed at building interdisciplinary research teams at Wrocław University of Science and Technology. Each event will focus on a different thematic area, tailored to current challenges or announced project competitions.

The meetings are open to all researchers from our University, regardless of their career stage or discipline, and take place in building H-14.

Shared Goal: Interdisciplinary Research Teams

– Events like this are very much needed at our university, as evidenced by the fact that two related projects were submitted under the Polytechnica Nova competition. I would like to thank everyone for such strong commitment and I believe these meetings will become a permanent part of the PWr calendar, serving as a place for integration and establishing scientific relationships – said Prof. Renata Krzyżyńska, Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation, during the inauguration of the series.

The topic of the first meeting was AI and its applications in various fields of life. The impact of artificial intelligence on contemporary scientific methodology was presented by Prof. Tomasz Kajdanowicz from the Department of Artificial Intelligence at our Faculty.

Artificial Intelligence and the SciMatch PWr System

Prof. Kajdanowicz analysed the individual stages of the research process, pointing out, among other things, the enormous potential for automation in literature reviews, hypothesis generation and experiment design. He emphasised, however, that key functions such as defining problems and interpreting results should remain in the human domain due to ethical considerations and the need for genuine understanding.

He also presented the “SciMatch PWr” system, which uses algorithms to match researchers’ competencies and support the creation of optimal research teams. The tool allows users to search for research partners among more than 200,000 researchers within the Unite! network, which connects nine European universities, including Wrocław University of Science and Technology. The search engine provides information such as academic seniority, publication activity and research interests.

From Language Models to Medical Diagnostics

Following the introductory session, participants moved to thematic discussion tables prepared by the teams of Prof. Wojciech Bożejko, Prof. Michał Woźniak, Prof. Ngoc Thanh Nguyen and Prof. Tomasz Kajdanowicz. The meetings were divided into two rounds of moderated discussions, each lasting approximately 45 minutes.

During the first round, topics included generative artificial intelligence, Large Language Models (LLMs) and agent-based systems. Participants also discussed the role of knowledge graphs, social networks and blockchain, as well as AI applications in logistics, technology personalisation and medicine (from medical imaging diagnostics to the control of bioprostheses).

The first round was moderated by:

• Prof. Maciej Zięba,
• Prof. Maciej Piasecki,
• Dr. Piotr Bielak,
• Prof. Piotr Bródka and Prof. Radosław Michalski,
• Dr. Jan Kocoń,
• Prof. Urszula Markowska-Kaczmar,
• Dr. Jakub Klikowski,
• Dr. Paweł Trajdos,
• Prof. Paweł Myszkowski and Prof. Michał Przewoźniczek,
• Dr. Radosław Idzikowski.

The second part of the meeting focused on security, biometrics and legal regulations related to AI, as well as the ethical aspects of technological development. Topics included commercial implementations, advanced quantum computing and collective intelligence.

The second round was moderated by:

• Prof. Stanisław Saganowski, Prof. Ryszard Klempous and Dr. Konrad Kluwak,
• Prof. Marek Klonowski,
• Prof. Przemysław Kazienko,
• Prof. Tomasz Kajdanowicz,
• Prof. Wojciech Bożejko and Prof. Mariusz Uchroński,
• Dr. Paweł Drąg and Dr. Teodor Niżyński,
• Prof. Mariusz Topolski,
• Dr. Paweł Zyblewski,
• Prof. Adrianna Kozierkiewicz.

The event was also attended by representatives of units supporting innovation and technology transfer, including the Centre for Innovation and Business, Wrocław Centre for Technology Transfer, Academic Business Incubator, Centre for National and International Relations and the Projects Department. Their presence is intended to help transform ideas into concrete research, implementation and commercial projects.

The next PWr Connect meeting is scheduled for 16 June and will focus on dual-use technologies, i.e. technologies primarily intended for civilian or commercial applications but which can also be adapted or used for military, defence or security purposes.