Teaching computers to “see” through machine learning: German computer scientist selected as a finalist for the European Inventor Award 2024

• Cordelia Schmid's work helps enable computers to understand and interpret visual data
• Her innovations bridge the gap between theoretical AI research and practical applications, with significant implications for autonomous systems, healthcare and more
• The scientist will compete for the ‘Research’ category award against a Maltese team and a French one. The winners will be announced on 9 July in Malta
• Voting for the Popular Prize, awarded by the public, is open as of today

Munich, 16 May 2024 - Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to shape every facet of daily life, from the moment we wake up until we go to sleep. AI is present nowadays in a wide range of fields, from our personal devices to our transportation means. Cordelia Schmid has been selected as a finalist in the 'Research' category of the European Inventor Award 2024, based on her contributions to teaching computers to "see" and interpret complex visual data in real time. Her work, leveraging machine learning to enhance machine perception, is already being used in various sectors, including autonomous vehicles, healthcare diagnostics, and interactive robotics, promising to revolutionise our interaction with technology. She has been selected by an independent jury from over 550 candidates.

Artificial intelligence that sees the world

Schmid's innovative approach to machine learning and computer vision has led to the development of algorithms that enable AI to "see" by interpreting vast amounts of visual data instantaneously. This technology is crucial for applications requiring quick and accurate responses, such as autonomous vehicles and interactive robotics. "An algorithm is a sequence of instructions which you give to a machine and are executed in order or with some conditions," Schmid explains. “The extraction of features and the conditions used to be handcrafted for the machines to react, but this is no longer the case" highlighting the shift towards dynamic, self-improving machine learning models. These models continuously refine their accuracy and adaptability by learning from new data, ensuring the AI's capabilities evolve and remain effective across diverse applications.

This innovation boosts both commercial technologies and research frontiers. Schmid’s algorithms improve image and video search engines, and monitoring systems, enabling searches that prioritise visual cues over text. Schmid's work also paves the way for intelligent robots and AI systems tailored for meaningful human interaction, enhancing services and life quality, with possible applications with assistive robots for elder care, automotive enhancements and entertainment innovations.

Looking to the future through an AI lens

Schmid's mission is clear: to elevate machine perception to a level where AI makes our lives easier, pushing the envelope on how AI interprets our world. "Developed responsibly, artificial intelligence has the potential to revolutionise our society in the same way that steam power and electricity did in the past”, Schmid explained. “AI can help us to solve some of the world's most pressing problems, from sustainability to health. Personally, I am thrilled by the research opportunities this opens", she articulates.

After a master’s from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and a PhD in Computer Science at the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble, she went on to work as a researcher at Oxford Robotics Institute. In her current role as Research Director at France’s National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology (Inria) and her part-time engagement at Google Research, academic theories merge with industrial practice.

Cordelia Schmid is one of three finalists in the ‘Research’ category for this year’s European Inventor Award. The other finalists recognised for their outstanding work are Maltese Tonio Sant and Daniel Buhagiar for their sustainable offshore energy storage solution and the French duo, David Devos and Caroline Moreau, for their innovative treatments for Parkinson’s disease. The EPO will announce the winners during a ceremony livestreamed here from Malta on 9 July 2024. In addition to each category, the EPO will reveal the Popular Prize winner, chosen by online public vote. Voting will remain open until the day of the ceremony.

Find more information about the invention’s impact, the technology and the inventors’ stories here.

Media contacts European Patent Office 

Luis Berenguer Giménez
Principal Director Communication / EPO spokesperson

EPO press desk
press@epo.org
Tel.: +49 89 2399-1833

About the European Inventor Award 

The European Inventor Award is one of Europe's most prestigious innovation prizes. Launched by the EPO in 2006, the award honours individuals and teams, who have come up with solutions to some of the biggest challenges of our time. The European Inventor Award jury consists of inventors who are all former finalists. To judge proposals, the independent panel draws on their wealth of technical, business, and intellectual property expertise. In 2024, the jury is chaired by Wolfgang M. Heckl. All inventors must have been granted a European patent for their invention. Read more here on the various categories, prizes, selection criteria and livestream ceremony to be held on 9 July in Malta. 

About the EPO 

With 6,300 staff members, the European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the largest public service institutions in Europe. Headquartered in Munich with offices in Berlin, Brussels, The Hague and Vienna, the EPO was founded with the aim of strengthening co-operation on patents in Europe. Through the EPO's centralised patent granting procedure, inventors are able to obtain high-quality patent protection in up to 45 countries, covering a market of some 700 million people. The EPO is also the world's leading authority in patent information and patent searching.