On June 20, the Técnico Innovation Center, powered by Fidelidade, hosted the session titled “AI Around Us,” part of the conference series “Artificial Intelligence in Interaction with the Physical World”, held alongside the exhibition arte com Ciência, by Leonel Moura. The event was organized in partnership between Técnico and the Institute for Systems and Robotics – Lisbon (ISR-Lisboa), aiming to explore the impact of artificial intelligence technologies on daily life.

The discussion featured contributions from José Santos-Victor, ISR researcher and professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (DEEC), as well as Patrícia Figueiredo, Paulo Ferrão, and Tiago Domingos, all professors at Técnico. The session was moderated by Pedro Lima, President of ISR-Lisboa, and Porfírio Silva, a long-time collaborator with the institute.

José Santos-Victor highlighted the connection between technological development and biology, using the example of the jumping spider to illustrate the diversity of ways in which living beings perceive and interact with the physical world. He emphasized the value of developing computational systems inspired by biological mechanisms.

During the open discussion, several key topics were raised, including energy efficiency in AI systems, privacy, the reliability of AI in the physical world, and the role of humans in the digital era. The session reflected on the potential for collaboration between artificial and human systems, highlighting a vision of complementarity.

This inaugural forum marked the beginning of a six-part series, which will run until February 2026, with all sessions taking place at 5:00 PM at the Técnico Innovation Center. The next session, scheduled for October 3, will focus on “Industry of the Future: Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Services”.

Photo gallery
News by Técnico in collaboration with ISR-Lisboa
Photo: Técnico