UWB representatives are contributing to efforts to boost the Czech Republic's competitiveness in AI

Experts from the Faculty of Applied Sciences UWB in Pilsen gave presentations on computer vision, the development of a humanoid, and speech technologies in medicine at the Matchm-AI-king seminar, which aimed to connect teams from CAS and universities and to build Czech competitiveness in AI.

The deployment of artificial intelligence in industry, manufacturing, research, and other application areas, which can generate tangible economic and social benefits, presents an opportunity for the Czech Republic to compete with China or the United States. This was one of the key messages of the Matchm-AI-king seminar held in June. Dozens of experts from across the Czech Republic gathered at the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics, and Cybernetics at the Czech Technical University in Prague (CIIRC CTU) to discuss current research in AI. Experts from the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen presented the development of specific solutions spanning robotics, computer vision, and healthcare services.

Luboš Šmídl has long been focusing on this very area at the Department of Cybernetics, Faculty of Applied Sciences. In Prague, he presented multidisciplinary research linking artificial intelligence with applications in healthcare and industry. "Our goal is not just theoretical research, but the transformation of text, speech, and image data into intelligent solutions that actually work in practice. A prime example is our DIGIDIADEM web application, which allows us to detect an impending decline in cognitive function early on based on changes in a patient's spontaneous speech," Šmídl explained.

His colleague Marek Hrúz presented computer vision systems with an emphasis on human-machine interaction, autonomous driving, and biological data monitoring. His team is developing advanced models for sign language translation and is already using the same computer vision technologies to monitor and protect endangered animal species.

A Czech humanoid robot for social services, industry, and everyday life? It's not unrealistic; Martin Bulín from the Department of Cybernetics at the Faculty of Applied Sciences is developing the platform. "We're striving to ensure that our system isn't single-purpose, but rather that it can adapt to any situation and understand the task it's solving in collaboration with a human," Bulín said at the seminar. He wants the robot to understand its surroundings, communicate in natural language with people, and operate safely in the real world.

The Matchm-AI-king seminar was organized by the Czech Academy of Sciences (AV ČR), which invited representatives from most Czech universities. Artificial intelligence is developing very rapidly; according to the Academy, it is therefore necessary to ensure close collaboration across disciplines and institutions. The seminar's title thus refers to dating platforms. According to Radomír Pánek, president of the CAS, Czech science has great potential in artificial intelligence, but only through collaboration can that potential be fully realized. In his view, greater collaboration among research organizations could be key to developing more ambitious projects and enhancing the international competitiveness of Czech research. All presentations are available for viewing and download at this link.