Successful AI Basics for Image Analysis webinar available on YouTube

In November-December 2023, the Horizon Europe-funded ANERIS Project organized a workshop series to explore the realms of AI application for image processing. These workshops, orchestrated by Euro-BioImaging, France BioImaging and Israel BioImaging were appreciated by a wide audience and are today available on YouTube.

The Horizon Europe ANERIS project strives to address the swift decline in ocean biodiversity by developing cutting-edge tools and technology for monitoring, researching, and managing marine life. A significant focus of ANERIS revolves around the application of imaging technologies in the realm of marine research, encompassing underwater observatories, species recognition imaging software, and workflows for the analysis of imaging data. The project also places special emphasis on knowledge transfer and empowering citizen scientists and early career researchers (ECRs).

Sharing expertise on AI

In November-December 2023, ANERIS engaged in one such initiative. Project partners from Euro-Bioimaging, France Bioimaging, and Israel BioImaging organized a public imaging workshop entitled "AI Basics for Image Processing," drawing substantial attendance and garnering positive feedback from citizen scientists, students, and young researchers.

Conducted in three sessions spanning from November 29th to December 7th, the AI-themed workshop attracted over 400 participants from various corners of the globe (refer to the image).

Each of the three sessions was thematically curated and featured speakers from various institutions, including participants from ANERIS.

Workshop themes & speakers

The first session, "AI Basics for Image Processing," showcased enlightening talks such as "Introduction to image processing" by Jean Yves Tinevez from Institut Pasteur, "AI enhanced microscopy imaging: challenges and perspectives" by Estibaliz Gomez de Mariscal from Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia/AI4Life, and "Deep learning and classical machine learning / demo of classification and segmentation" by Thierry Pecot from Rennes University & France Bioimaging.

The second session, "Image Restoration," delved into comprehensive lectures like "Microscopy Image Restoration: Physics-Driven or Data-Driven Models" by Daniel Sage from EPFL, "Denoising microscopy images with self-supervised deep-learning" by Joran Deschamps from Human Technopole/AI4Life, and "Submarine video image restoration" by Tali Treibitz from the University of Haifa.;

The final session centered around the intriguing topics of "Image Classification and Segmentation," featuring talks such as "Image segmentation and classification using deep learning" by Perrine Paul-Gilloteaux from CNRS; France Bioimaging, "AI for Marine life classification and Drone images analysis" by Enoc Martinez from the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya and the iMagine project, along with Elena Vollmer from the Karlsruher Institute of Technology and the AI4EOSC project. The session also included "Plankton classification using Ecotaxa (Demo)" by Victor Retanauer from Fotonower & Sorbonne University, providing a comprehensive overview of various techniques for segmentation and classification of different biodiversity imaging data.

A successful initiative

The workshop series was a remarkable experience, providing a comprehensive insight into the applications of AI in image processing. The speakers were exceptionally knowledgeable, sharing valuable information that resonated well with the participants. The overwhelmingly positive feedback underscores not only the success of the workshop sessions but also a keen interest for future ones. The collaboration between experts and enthusiastic participants has set the stage for an exciting journey into the evolving landscape of AI.

For those who couldn't attend the live workshops, the presentation slides can be accessed on Zenodo, and the recorded sessions are compiled into a playlist on the Euro-BioImaging YouTube channel.