Welcome, Julia Merlot!

Julia Merlot conducts research on the question: better pandemic management with intelligent systems? Photo: Daniel Hofmann - Science journalist is new Cyber Valley journalist-in-residence Within a few weeks, SARS-CoV-2 spread around the world; about six million people died from or with the pathogen in the first two years of the pandemic. The dynamic spread of the pathogen, which initially lacked materials, personnel and often also knowledge and time, continues to pose a challenge to societies around the world. Intelligent systems could help prevent or better manage such escalations in the future. This raises not only technical but also legal, ethical, and societal issues, such as data protection and the nature and capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) applications. During her three-month stay in Tübingen and Stuttgart, Julia Merlot, the new Cyber Valley Journalist-in-Residence, will focus on how intelligent systems can find their way into practice for better pandemic management. Her focus will be on the perspective of society and users: Which applications are desired and find acceptance, which do not? The science editor of the news magazine "Der Spiegel" convinced the independent jury with her application and will pursue this question from April to July 2022. "I'm interested in what knowledge exists in society, in health departments, clinics and in politics about possible AI applications in pandemic management," says Merlot. "How are different application areas perceived and evaluated?