The NExT Singapore Workshop on Responsible AI and Large Foundation Models (LFMs) was successfully held on December 4-5, 2024, bringing together researchers, industry professionals, and thought leaders from local and overseas. Hosted by the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Tsinghua University, the two-day workshop served as a vibrant forum for discussing advancements in responsible AI governance, large foundation models, and AI applications in various domains.
The workshop commenced with welcome remarks by Prof. Kian-Lee Tan, Dean of NUS School of Computing.
Then, the opening remark was delivered by Prof. Tat-Seng Chua (NUS) and Prof. Maosong Sun (Tsinghua), setting the stage for the discussions ahead.
The first session of the workshop focused on emerging trends and governance challenges in large foundation models. Prof. Bo Zhang from Tsinghua University and Prof. Wendy Hall from University of Southampton delivered insightful talks on multimodal large foundation models and challenges in responsible AI development.
Trends & Challenges of Multimodal LFMs - Prof. Bo Zhang (Tsinghua)
Governing AI for Humanity - Prof. Wendy Hall (University of Southampton)
For the second session, the discussion shifted to responsible AI, exploring strategies for building trust and ensuring fairness in AI systems, where Prof. Mohan Kankanhalli from NUS, Prof. Peng Cui from Tsinghua University, and Prof. Joel Fischer from the University of Nottingham gave talks on trustworthy AI and responsible AI.
Making AI Trustable: Making Value Alignment more Robust - Prof. Mohan Kankanhalli (NUS)
Towards Trustworthy AI: A Data-centric Perspective - Prof. Peng Cui (Tsinghua)
Responsible AI UK - An Ecosystem for Responsible AI in the UK and Beyond - Prof. Joel Fischer (University of Nottingham).
A poster and demo session followed, where researchers from NUS, Tsinghua University, and the University of Southampton showcased their latest work, sparking vibrant discussions among attendees.
Next session explored how AI is revolutionizing financial systems by enhancing decision-making, risk assessment, and so on. Experts presented advancements in AI-driven financial models and engaged in discussions on the impact of AI on regulatory compliance and financial services.
Bridging Theory and Practice: Advancing Theory-Guided and Explainable AI in Financial Decision-Making - Prof. Ke-Wei Huang (NUS)
The Development and Applications of Financial LLM - Dr. Chao Wang (6Estates)
A panel discussion on "How AI Reshapes Finance" concluded the session, featuring industry experts and academics (Prof. Ke-Wei Huang, Prof. Maosong Sun, Dr. Ritchie Ng, and Mr. Kenneth Gay) who examined AI's role in transforming financial systems and regulatory challenges.
The second day of workshop featured in-depth analysis on AI Agents, Education, and New Trends in LFMs. The first session examined the development of AI agents powered by LFMs. Speakers discussed their applications in autonomous decision-making, edge computing, and the challenges in optimizing AI agents for real-world tasks.
Densing Law of LLMs: A Path to Sustainable AGI - Prof. Zhiyuan Liu (ModelBest/Tsinghua)
Generative Recommendations: From LLMs to Network of Experts - Dr. An Zhang (NUS)
The next session explored how AI is impacting education and academic research. Discussions focused on AI-driven educational tools, multimodal learning experiences, and the future role of AI in scholarly communication.
AI Empowered Education at Tsinghua: Practices and Lessons Learnt - Prof. Hongning Wang (Tsinghua)
Multimodal, Multilingual Generative AI for Education: From Multicultural Contextualization to Empathetic Reasoning – Dr. Nancy F. Chen (A*STAR)
This session ends with a panel on "The Impact of AI on Education and Academic Conferences" moderated by Prof. See-Kiong Ng. Panelists include Prof. Yiqun Liu (Tsinghua), Prof. Min-Yen Kan (NUS), Prof. Haiming Liu (Univ. of Southampton), and Dr. Nancy F. Chen (A*STAR)
The afternoon's sessions discuss on selected topics in LFMs, where researchers and experts from different fields shared their opinions on the recent development on LLMs and their impact on various domains, including robotics, interactive, emotional supports, and society.
Towards Greener, Faster and Sustainable AI for Robotics – Prof. Shoaib Ehsan (Univ. of Southampton)
Do We Need Another LLM? Why and How We Developed SEA-LION? Dr. Leslie Teo (AI Singapore)
Intelligent, Natural, and Trustworthy Human-AI Collaboration for Advancing LLMs Toward AGI – Dr. Xiaoyu Qin (Tsinghua)
LLMs with Social Intelligence: on Emotion, Mind and Cognition – Prof. Minlie Huang (Tsinghua)
Generative AI: Fact or Fiction? – Prof. Wendy Hall (Univ. of Southampton)
The workshop concluded with final remarks from Prof. See-Kiong Ng (NUS) and Prof. Juanzi Li (Tsinghua), reflecting on key insights and future collaborations in AI research.
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