In our introductory session, you will:

• meet our team
• get an overview of our course and lecture structure
• try out our Engagement Lab
• and have the space to ask any questions you may have

In his lecture “AI: World Maps, Intelligence and Parrots” Michael explains how today’s AI systems inhabit the space between genuine intelligence and sophisticated statistical parrots. Since many of the half-truths surrounding AI contain a kernel of truth, it’s essential to grasp the real challenges that accompany its growing use. His talk ranges from model architecture to energy demands, and from safety to cost. Nevertheless, the lecture is highly accessible to non-technical audiences, and gives a sharp and balanced view of what AI is—and what it isn’t.

Michael Schmidt first studied Business Administration but soon found himself captivated by the world of IT. His journey led him along the path from Excel Nerd → Data Analyst → Data Engineer → Data Scientist → AI Developer. He has given several lectures on Data Visualization and Artificial Intelligence, created LinkedIn courses on both Data Visualization and Virtual Reality, and is currently exploring the field of knowledge graphs. Michael also serves as Finance Admin and part-time IT Admin of TheSafeZone e.V., a charity he co-founded. A passionate reader with wide-ranging interests, he enjoys playing video games whenever time allows.

Breathing techniques have been a central part of the traditional knowledge of yoga. A time-tested, evidence-based breathing technique, Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) has also been found by numerous independent studies to be most effective in sustainably enhancing overall wellbeing by increasing mindfulness, the feeling of connection, work efficiency, and the ability to concentrate, while reducing stress and anxiety. 

In this hands-on workshop, you will get an introduction to the SKY Breath Meditation and have the opportunity to learn a few simple breathing techniques. You will also gain an understanding of the four prongs of sustainable positive mental health and how inner and outer sustainability are connected. To conclude the session there will be a short exchange on the experience, time for questions, and a short survey to gauge student interest in a weekend SKY Breath Meditation workshop.

Prof. Dr. Mrinalini (Nalini) Kochupillai is currently an adjunct faculty at the University of Vienna and was a guest professor of ethics at TU Munich from 2020-2024. She is also a certified practitioner and trainer for the Art of Living Happiness Program and the SKY Campus Happiness Program which teach the evidence-based SKY Breath Meditation. In addition to researching legal and ethical issues in emerging technologies, her current research seeks to understand whether and how stress management techniques can support ethical decision-making.

Shared Session with the Hochschule München University of Applied Sciences

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The Lectures for Future is a public lecture series at Hochschule München University of Applied Sciences, held every semester in a hybrid format. Moderated by Prof. Dr. Christian Holler and Prof. Dr. Heinz P. Huber, it brings together researchers from Munich’s universities to explore climate change, environmental protection, and sustainability from diverse interdisciplinary perspectives.

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Currently, human consumption surpasses the planet’s capacity to sustainably support health and maintain biodiverse ecological systems. The two major challenges to be met for preserving a healthy human life on a healthy planet are sustainable generation und use of energy and food. My lecture will focus on the critical need for a sustainable food system, a cornerstone in building a viable and healthy future for both humanity and the planet.

As we navigate the Anthropocene, humanity faces enormous environmental challenges. Our increasing population, which stands at 8 billion today and is projected to reach 10 billion by the end of this century, places significant stress on land, water and biodiversity and contributes to the acceleration of climate change. These issues call for an overhaul and upgrade of our food and healthcare system, to render both more resilient. Fortunately, we are armed with an unprecedented array of knowledge, cutting-edge technologies, and innovative tools. The converging revolutions in biotechnology and information science present substantial opportunities.

Nutrition occupies a pivotal role at the intersection of human health, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability. It encompasses the management of global food supplies to meet population demands sustainably, the advancement of personalized and precision nutrition to optimize individual health outcomes, and the exploration of bioactive compounds in natural food sources. The objectives of modern nutritional science are to support human health and wellbeing, contribute to disease prevention, and extend the health span concomitant with increasing life expectancies. Concurrently, nutrition must be practiced with an acute awareness of sustainable resource utilization, aiming to mitigate lasting detrimental effects on the environment and climate.

To meet these seemingly overwhelming and partly competing challenges of our era, nutrition science is progressing toward a systems-based, translational approach. This (r)evolution requires the development of sustainable food systems, a healthcare system that balances efficiency with affordability, and the creation of nutritional and dietary plans customized for diverse consumer and patient needs and demographics. Achieving a sustainable food system necessitates a greater reliance on plant-based sources for essential macro- and micronutrients as well as phytochemicals. An efficient and cost-effective healthcare system should integrate comprehensive nutritional strategies – encompassing general, medical, and clinical nutrition – to augment and complement the traditional pharmaceutical interventions. Personalized nutrition, moreover, depends on translational research that incorporates detailed phenotyping of participants to ensure the representation of various population segments.

Under this scope and context, I will review a collection of (partly own) scientific work that addresses the interconnected streams of sustainable nutrition and healthcare, as well as the advancement of nutrition as a translational science. These contributions utilize systems biology and data science to elucidate intricate physiological processes, thereby reinforcing the conceptual framework of nutrition as a systems science. My talk will include studies that utilize omics technologies, artificial intelligence, and bioinformatics to identify and validate plant-based sources for high-quality proteins, micronutrients, and bioactive compounds. Additionally, this body of work highlights how integrating indigenous knowledge with contemporary scientific approaches can offer innovative solutions to current food system challenges.

Martin is Head of Science at the Competence Center for Nutrition (KErn). KErn is an institute within the Bavarian Research Organisation for Agriculture (LfL) and facilitates integrated solutions for a healthier and more sustainable food system in Bavaria, Germany, a federal state with 13 M inhabitants. Martin is also CEO and Founder of Kussmann Biotech GmbH, a biotechnology consulting firm in the fields of health, nutrition, and sustainability. Through this function, he is SAB Chair for NemaLife Inc. TX, USA; and GreenBioPeptides S.A. Barcelona, Spain, two tech-bio companies in the bioactive space for nutra-, pharma- and cosmeceuticals. Trained as a biochemist Martin has accomplished a 30-years dual corporate/academic career with experience in nutrition, pharma, and biotechnology. He held professorships at EPF Lausanne, Switzerland; Aarhus University, Denmark; and Auckland University, New Zealand. Martin has (co-)created four research units, scientifically led three institutions, and is credited with ~200 publications.

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Shared Session with TUM Center for Culture and Arts

We are excited to invite you to the lecture Nature 2.0: Art, Algorithms, and the Mutations of the Living, followed by a Q&A session with the artist.

For over four decades, Miguel Chevalier has been exploring both the visible and invisible dimensions of life through the lens of digital technology. In this lecture, the artist reflects on his career and presents the main themes of his ongoing research into a reprogrammed nature — one reinvented through algorithms, data flows, and generative aesthetics. Through emblematic series such as Fractal Flowers, Digital Abysses, and Meta-Nature AI, Chevalier questions our relationship with living systems in the age of artificial intelligence, simulation, and co-creation with machines. Algorithms become poetic tools capable of generating new forms, imaginary ecosystems, and hybrid species — at the crossroads of the real and the virtual. Yet Chevalier’s work does not remain confined to the immaterial realm of the digital. He embraces a post-virtual approach, in which algorithmically generated worlds of code and light take on tangible form as sculptures, engravings, 3D prints, holograms, or site-specific installations. Beginning in the virtual, he returns to the real — not to reproduce it, but to reveal its complexity, beauty, and fragility through new lenses. His work is in constant metamorphosis, at the intersection of science, art, and contemplation.

Important Details:

• Start: 11:00 AM
• Duration: about 1.5h
• Location: Audimax der HFF München, Bernd-Eichinger-Platz 1

The TUM Center for Culture and Arts offers a diverse cultural programme for the university community, spanning music, literature, fine arts, performing arts, and digital arts. Open to all members of the TUM community and friends of TUM, its wide-ranging activities encourage the discovery of hidden talents, broaden horizons, and foster exchange across disciplines.

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As public awareness for the environmental and social impact of AI technologies grows, questions about the appropriate measurement and assessment of these impacts abound. Conceived as a contribution to this discussion, this talk presents insights into the current landscape of the AI ethics field, with special consideration for discussions about “sustainable AI”. It asks what kind of approach, perspective and concepts are necessary to properly assess the sustainability impact of AI technologies. In answering this question, it maps a shift which can currently be perceived in AI ethics literature: From impact analyses of concrete AI technologies (algorithms, hardware, etc.) to a structural approach which uncovers ethical issues on a broader scale. Crucially, this shift of perspective also brings in, or rather uncovers, a political dimension to these discussions.

Larissa Bolte is a research associate and PhD candidate within the Bonn Sustainable AI Lab of the Institute for Science and Ethics at the University of Bonn, Germany. She holds an MA degree in philosophy and has published in a variety of peer-reviewed venues on AI and sustainability, AI and critical theory as well as philosophy of technology and extractivism. Larissa’s PhD project links these research interests by investigating the notion of “sustainable technology” through the lens of Frankfurt School critical theory, specifically Adorno’s notion of “natural history”.

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