22.07.2026 Artificial Intelligence GENAI-X Project Kickoff Event

How can what has been learned from examples be reliably applied to new, unknown situations? The question of achieving robust model generalizability is one of the fundamental challenges in working with artificial intelligence.

The GENAI-X project, funded by the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung, addresses this challenge with a focus on non-stationary environmental systems - that is, systems with constantly and unpredictably changing environmental conditions. The focus is on hydro-climatic extremes such as floods, landslides, droughts, and late frosts, as well as their impacts. By further developing AI methods that adapt to changing data patterns and uncertainties, the project aims to improve the understanding and prediction of environmental phenomena.

The kick-off event on June 22 was attended by 65 researchers, students, partners, and guests from academia, industry, and public institutions. The scientific program included insights into the project’s vision and goals, as well as inspiring presentations and discussions on the challenges and opportunities involved in developing AI systems that function reliably even under constantly changing conditions.

The (post)doctoral researchers and project leaders involved in the project also gathered on June 23 for an internal group workshop, laying the foundation for a strong and connected research community. The highlight was a one-hour role-playing exercise in the form of a moderated, discussion-based crisis simulation on AI-supported flood warnings. The materials for this exercise are available as an open educational resource on Zenodo.

The GENAI-X project is based at the ELLIS Unit in Jena and represents a collaboration between Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena University Hospital, the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, and the Senckenberg Institute for Plant Diversity.