Nuremberg (dpa/lby) - A nationwide first: Germany's first university specializing purely in artificial intelligence (AI) is to be established in Nuremberg. Minister President Markus Söder (CSU) described the project in his home city as the "Franconian University of Artificial Intelligence". But what is behind it?

The state government's plans envisage that the still young Technical University of Nuremberg will focus entirely on AI in future. AI University means that in future there will not be a single department in which AI will not play a role, according to a spokesperson from the Ministry of Science. As teaching and research at TU Nuremberg is still in its infancy, further development will focus on AI with immediate effect.

Founded in 2021, the university accepted its first eight students this winter semester. Title of the first Master's program: AI and Robotics. A second Master's program in the winter semester of 2025 will focus on human and artificial intelligence, according to a TU spokesperson. A Bachelor's degree course is to be launched for the first time in 2027.

According to Science Minister Markus Blume (CSU), focusing on the major social issues of the future and reacting quickly to new developments is already part of TU Nuremberg's founding mission. Further development with a focus on AI is now about how AI can be used in the best possible way while limiting the risks. "The effects on society, our interactions and emotions must also be researched. We want to shape AI according to our values," added Blume.

According to the ministry, the planned areas of research and teaching include autonomous systems that are able to react flexibly to a changing environment and learn through experience. Areas of application could range from autonomous driving to modern robotics in industry, medicine and care.

The potential applications of artificial intelligence will also be researched at the TU in the field of civil security in the future. According to the information provided, another field is the topic of work and how AI will change employment opportunities in the future.

With the TU, the Free State has already created the third university with a technical focus in the region alongside Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Nuremberg Institute of Technology - and has poured a lot of money into Franconia.

In response to the question of whether the TU would be given more money to specialize in AI, the spokesperson said: "The university in Nuremberg is currently growing." From year to year, more and more money will flow to the TU Nuremberg until the final expansion. The ministry did not specify a concrete sum.