Published: 25th July 2022
When engineers working with embedded systems need guidance on applying AI and machine learning, they often find the field is complex, fast-moving and lacking in clear, accessible resources. MINDS CDT researchers are helping to change that.
In March 2022, MINDS students Alex Wang and Epifanios Baikas, alongside Deputy Impact Champion Dr Dimitra Georgiadou, attended the first TechNES AI and ML workshop, hosted by Thales in Reading. TechNES is the Technology Network for Embedded Systems, part of Techworks, the UK's deep tech hub. The session brought together representatives from industry and academia including Embecosm, NXP, Graphcore, Huawei, Dyson, Infineon, Codeplay, and the Universities of Kent and Surrey.
Participants split into two working groups: AI Best Practices, and Use of AI in IC Development and System Design. The AI Best Practices group set out to develop practical guidance for electronics engineers who work with AI and machine learning but do not specialise in it.
In May 2022, the second workshop in the series was hosted by MINDS CDT at the University of Southampton. MINDS student Arezou Nayebi also joined the group at this stage. The session marked the start of two practical outputs: an AI Observatory wiki and an AI/ML Cookbook, both designed to provide clear, balanced guidance on AI and machine learning from academic and industry perspectives.
The AI Observatory wiki, hosted on GitHub, covers subject areas including AI Technologies, Legal and Ethics, Privacy, Security and Safety, and People and AI. Lists of AI events and conferences, data and model sharing platforms, and existing AI guidance groups are updated on an ongoing basis.
The collaboration gives MINDS researchers a direct route into industry conversations about how AI is understood, applied and governed in embedded systems engineering.