"Brain, computer, and AI – soon indistinguishable?" – Prof. Katrin Amunts (Cécile and Oskar Vogt Institute for Brain Research/Jülich Research Center/EBRAINS), Prof. Rainer Goebel (Maastricht University), and Prof. Thomas Lippert (Jülich Research Center/Goethe University Frankfurt) provided the scientific background answering to this question at the Hector Fellow Academy's Science Evening in Düsseldorf on Thursday, 10 July 2025.
Several hundred guests attended the event, both on-site at the Kunstsammlung NRW lecture hall and via livestreaming. In their talks, Prof. Amunts, the academic organiser of the evening, and her two colleagues explained to the audience how supercomputers generate AI, what we still want to learn about the structure of the brain, and how this question can be answered from the perspective of cognitive neuroscience.
A special highlight was the visit of Roberto Viola, Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG Connect) at the European Commission. In his welcoming address and during the panel discussion moderated by Wolfram Eilenberger, Dr. Roberto Viola explained how the European Union intends to politically advance further development in this field while simultaneously establishing a solid ethical foundation.
An eye-catching exhibition in the foyer of the lecture hall, designed by the Cécile and Oskar Vogt Institute for Brain Research , showcased the development of brain research - from brain maps and models from the early 20th century to the modern EBRAINS digital research platform. Video presentations featuring EBRAINS and the Jülich exascale computer JUPITER showed what the future of neuroscience, supercomputing and AI could look like.
Watch the German recording on YouTube here.
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