NEWS

Ministry of Defense announces during opening of building to join MindLabs

28 September 2023 Breaking

During the official opening of the MindLabs building on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, Professor Roy Lindelauf, affiliated with the Defense Academy, announced that the Ministry of Defense is joining and establishing MindLabs. MindLabs is the ecosystem, located in Tilburg's Spoorzone, that focuses on collaboration in artificial intelligence and interactive technology.

At the core of society
The Ministry of Defense, specifically their Datascience Center of Excellence, is occupying part of the third floor. Together with other MindLabs partners, the defense employees will explore topics such as cybersecurity and combating misinformation and fake news. But developing algorithms to improve military decision-making is also on the agenda. Professor Roy Lindelauf is the initiator. Lindelauf: "We will conduct research here on various topics in the field of AI that are of interest to defense. For us, MindLabs is the ideal partner because it allows us to work closely with other knowledge institutions such as Cognitive Science & Artificial Intelligence at Tilburg University and Fontys Journalism, for example. This way we operate in the middle of society. We find that contact important because it allows us to act together when it comes to complex issues such as, for example, the ethical side of AI."

Human avatar
The news was brought out during the official opening of MindLabs. This concluded a period of building, furnishing and trial runs. After a plenary welcome by the mayor of Tilburg Theo Weterings, the more than 300 guests were given a tour of 5 knowledge stations, including demonstrations and presentations by researchers, developers, students, companies and institutions involved in MindLabs. The official opening was done by MAI; the avatar developed especially for MindLabs. MAI is a pilot project of BUas (Breda University of Applied Sciences), Fontys ICT and consorts and will develop further in the future. MAI has its own Instagram account on which the "growth" of MAI can be followed closely.

The building
MindLabs is located in the heart of Tilburg's Spoorzone: the area north of the city center. It is located on the site of Hall 70, part of Tilburg's former NS workshop. Right next to central station and the LocHal, to be precise. The old railroad hall was renovated and expanded with new construction to a design by Ector Hoogstad Architects. The steel trusses of Hall 70 have been reused in the new situation and include MindLabs' central meeting hall.

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