Helmholtz AI Conference 2025: Connecting people, accelerating science
This June, Karlsruhe became the centre of scientific exchange and AI innovation as the Helmholtz AI Conference 2025 (HAICON25) brought together 400 researchers and thought leaders from across disciplines, institutions, and countries. Held from June 3 to 5 at Messe Karlsruhe, with a Prologue Day on June 2 at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), this year’s conference marked the largest AI-focused event within the Helmholtz Association to date.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming many aspects of our world, from everyday life to cutting-edge science, with breakthroughs in large language models, multimodal AI, and foundation models driving fast and far-reaching advances. As conversations continue about when artificial general intelligence (AGI) might emerge, AI’s potential to accelerate discovery has never been clearer. The annual Helmholtz AI Conference brings together leading experts to explore these developments and promote wider adoption across disciplines.
© Max Mesch
The event opened with welcoming remarks from KIT President Jan S. Hesthaven and Helmholtz AI Scientific Director Fabian Theis, followed by an engaging keynote from Michael Bronstein, who spoke on Biology 2.0 and the data-driven future of life sciences. Across three days of talks, participants explored the latest in foundation models, deep learning, explainable AI, and uncertainty estimation, with applications ranging from climate and neuroscience to pathology, materials science, and robotics. Special sessions included “Applied AI @ KIT”, which showcased cutting-edge work in areas such as AI for law, robotics in agriculture, and high-energy physics. Ribana Roscher’s keynote on sustainable crop production highlighted how AI and robotics can address key challenges in food security and environmental resilience.
© Max Mesch
Our annual conference reminds us that while AI continues to accelerate scientific discovery, it is the exchange of ideas and the meeting of minds that truly propels research. Progress happens when people connect - across disciplines, institutions, and borders - to imagine and build what’s next, together.
The conference also served as a platform to reflect on the broader strategic landscape in AI research. The Helmholtz Association, recently ranked 8th globally in the Nature Index for AI research output(Nature, Vol 633, 19 Sept 2024), continues to grow its role as a global leader in AI-powered science. This ranking reflects the impact of AI efforts across its 18 centres, including through Helmholtz AI. As a testament to this momentum, the Helmholtz Foundation Model Initiative (HFMI) projects continue advancing large, open scientific AI models, while the new UNLOCK 2025 callunder the hyperUNLOCK initiative marks an important step in building a benchmarking culture to support more reproducible, cross-domain research.
© Max Mesch
Another highlight was the announcement of the 2024 Helmholtz AI Project Call awardees. Ten high-risk, high-reward projects were selected for funding, highlighting Helmholtz AI’s view that real breakthroughs emerge when different fields collaborate. These cross-centre collaborations are set to tackle pressing issues in energy, health, sustainability, and more. Read more about the selected projects here. The next project call opens on August 1, 2025.
In a special joint session titled “KI Meets IA”, German and French researchers, including representatives from Centre Borelli, AISSAI, MIAI/CNRS, and Helmholtz AI, came together to explore opportunities for deepening European collaboration in AI research - a key step toward a more integrated European AI ecosystem.
© Max Mesch
Beyond the science, HAICON25 fostered vibrant community interaction. From the AI World Café and poster sessions to the high-energy Pitch & Networking event and Science Slam dinner, the conference underscored the importance of connection for facilitating breakthroughs. The closing evening, hosted in the VIP Lounge at BBBank Wildparkstadion, offered a fitting finale and a look ahead: Munich will host the Helmholtz AI Conference 2026.
© Max Mesch
As always, the event concluded by celebrating outstanding contributions. The 2025 Poster Prizes were awarded to Kaleb Phipps, Philip Müller, and Jan-Oliver Kropp.
We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to this year’s success - from speakers and session chairs to participants, organisers, and volunteers.
Special thanks to our sponsors:
IBM, pro-com DATA SYSTEMS, sysGen GmbH, Delta Computer GmbH, and to our host, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).