We are pleased to announce the first Munich AI Lecture of 2026, presented by Prof. Dr. Sebastian Pokutta on the growing role of Artificial Intelligence in scientific discovery. The lectureis organized by the Bavarian AI Chair for Mathematical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence at LMU, led by relAI Director Gitta Kutyniok.
Details:
Title: How Machines Explore, Conjecture, and Discover Mathematics
📍 Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 01, Raum D209, 80539 München, Deutschland
LMU room finder: https://www.lmu.de/raumfinder/#/
📅 Thursday, February 12, 2026
🕡 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
About the Lecture
The lecture focuses on the role of AI as a partner in mathematical research. Prof. Pokuttawill present approaches from the AI4Math initiative that combine optimization, machine learning, and mathematical structure to open up highly complex search spaces. Using the Hadwiger–Nelson problem as an example, he will explain how neural networks can be used to convert mixed discrete-continuous problems into differentiable optimization problems and explore new solution spaces.
About the Speaker
Prof. Dr. Sebastian Pokutta is Vice President of the Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB) and a Professor of Mathematics at the TU Berlin, with a research focus on Artificial Intelligence and Optimization. He leads, among other initiatives, the Excellence Cluster MATH+ and the Research Campus MODAL and has previously worked in academia and industry, including at MIT, IBM ILOG, and Georgia Tech. His work has been recognized with numerous awards, such as the Gödel Prize, the STOC Test of Time Award, and the NSF CAREER Award.
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