“Advances in artificial intelligence are bringing about significant transformations in education, science, technology, and even in the way we conceive of democracy.”

Felipe Bravo Márquez, IMFD researcher and academic of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Chile, will take over as director of the Data and Artificial Intelligence Initiative (IDIA) of the FCFM. In this context, he talks to the communications teams of the DCC and IDIA in the following interview:

With a mixture of joy, nervousness and also with great humility, Dr. Felipe Bravo Márquez, professor of the Department of Computer Science and researcher at the IMFD, received the news of his appointment as director of the Data and Artificial Intelligence Initiative (IDIA) of the FCFM. The academic will assume this position during 2025 and 2026. "My deepest motivation is to contribute to varied and challenging projects, and, above all, in the value of working as a team, sharing with others both successes and learnings," he comments.

Professor Felipe Bravo Márquez holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Waikato, New Zealand. He is also Principal Investigator of the National Center for Artificial Intelligence (CENIA) and Research Associate of the Millennium Institute Foundation of Data (IMFD). In recent years he has participated in several collaborative projects: "One of them," he says, "was the creation of the Master in Data Science (MDS), in collaboration with colleagues from different departments. In this project, I learned to integrate diverse perspectives and to overcome concerns of competition with other existing programs. Today, it is one of the most demanded programs in the Faculty and brings together academics from multiple disciplines".

He has also worked on the development of DashAI, an open source software that allows users without programming skills to train advanced machine learning models through accessible interfaces. "This project has involved the collaboration of students and engineers, and reflects a commitment to making artificial intelligence more accessible." Additionally, through IMFD and CENIA, he has collaborated in technology transfer projects with various institutions, such as the Supreme Court and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), in highly complex interdisciplinary projects.

This appointment represents for the academic an opportunity to contribute more directly to the positioning of the Faculty in the field of data and artificial intelligence, two areas with a growing impact on society and technology. "Since its creation, IDIA has established itself as a relevant player in our Faculty. I am deeply grateful to the Constituent Committee for defining the first guidelines of this initiative, to Felipe Tobar, IDIA's first director, to Francisco Förster, who has assumed the role of interim director, and to Dominique Varela, executive coordinator. Their work has been fundamental in establishing the bases with which we are now moving forward".

What is your vision for IDIA?

I see IDIA as responding organically to the rapid development of data science and AI over the past few decades. Since the mid-2000s, we have experienced a revolution driven by the potential of data: the rise of big companies such as Google and Amazon, the influence of social networks, and the ability to make scientific discoveries using large volumes of data have reflected the immense value of this discipline. At the same time, advances in artificial intelligence, especially with deep neural networks and language modeling, are generating significant transformations in education, science, technology and even the way we conceive democracy.

IDIA was born with the possibility of integrating views and approaches to address the great challenges and opportunities that data science and artificial intelligence present to us. In our Faculty, four emblematic departments - Industrial Engineering (DII), Mathematical Engineering (DIM), Computer Science (DCC) and Electrical Engineering (DIE) - have been key players in this growth, contributing with complementary approaches, ranging from statistics, optimization, signal processing, algorithms and data models that support these disciplines. However, this development has been, to a large extent, inorganic; that is, it has grown in a dispersed manner according to the needs of each unit.

For me, IDIA represents the opportunity to channel that growth into a more harmonious and cohesive structure where a collaborative platform is created that is capable of facing today's challenges with an integrative and far-reaching vision.

What is the national, and Faculty, data and AI research and development context in which you assume this position?

Chile is at a key moment for the development of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science. The country has built a vibrant ecosystem in these areas, driven by high-impact research centers such as the National Center for Artificial Intelligence (CENIA) and the Millennium Institute for Foundational Research on Data (IMFD), in which academics from our Faculty participate. Other centers, such as the Advanced Mining Technology Center (AMTC), the Center for Mathematical Modeling (CMM), the National Laboratory for High Performance Computing (NLHPC) and the Institute for Complex Engineering Systems (ISCI), have also strengthened their focus on AI and data science.

At the same time, we have seen a flourishing of innovative startups driven by academics and alumni of our Faculty, such as "Cero" and "Fintual," which are revolutionizing the healthcare and investment sectors, respectively. This reflects how the talent of our community is impacting both academia and the private sector.

We also have international references, with academics such as Bárbara Poblete at Amazon and Ricardo Baeza-Yates, National Science Prize winner, and Felipe Tobar at Imperial College.

This dynamic ecosystem of talent, research and entrepreneurship places us in a strategic position to maximize the impact of these efforts.

What will be your main guidelines?

My diagnosis is that the top priority should be to increase the number of academics who are part of the Initiative. Without a critical mass of committed academics, it will be difficult to meet our goals in teaching, research, transfer and outreach. It is essential to advance in the hiring of two full-time academics and we hope to grow in joint hiring with other departments to enhance research and interdisciplinary work.

Another equally relevant project is the PhD in Artificial Intelligence that we are developing together with the Catholic University. We seek to create a program of excellence that brings together the two most important universities in the country and attracts talented students, especially from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Finally, it is essential that IDIA be perceived as a joint effort between different units of the Faculty. IDIA should not be seen as a competition, but as a platform that enhances the work of different units. I am aware that designing an articulating mechanism will not be easy, and this is where I want to dedicate an important part of my efforts.

What do you expect to be the link between the different academic units and IDIA?

The director will be supported by a board of directors made up of the directors of four departments -DCC, DII, DIM, DIE-, the director of the Initiative, the Dean of the Faculty and the Academic and Innovation Director. The objective is to forge strategic guidelines in collaboration, understanding IDIA as an opportunity to create a "Joint Venture" in which these units, together with the Faculty, join forces to address a major discipline that none could fully embrace on its own.

How can IDIA and FCFM, through this project, contribute to the country's technological development and the transformation of Chile's productive matrix?

The Data and Artificial Intelligence Initiative (IDIA) still has a long way to go to achieve a significant impact on the transformation of Chile's productive matrix and innovation. IDIA's plan contemplates its evolution from an initiative to an institute of the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (FCFM) of the University of Chile.

Becoming an institute would allow IDIA to consolidate a stable and lasting structure, facilitating more effective collaboration with public and private sectors. This would strengthen its capacity to develop artificial intelligence solutions aimed at optimizing processes, implementing algorithmic auditing tools and fostering data governance. In particular, this transformation would broaden its impact on state institutions, in line with the University of Chile's commitment to public service.

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Source: IDIA - DCC Communications