ISLAMABAD: A two-day 20th International Conference on ‘Frontiers of Information Technology’ (FIT-2023), organized by COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) started on Monday, December 11,2023 at COMSTECH Secretariat, Islamabad. Over 200 industry experts, researchers, scientists, entrepreneurs and senior ranked officials from COMSATS University Islamabad led by the varsity Rector Prof. Dr. Sajid Qamar were present at the opening ceremony.
Program Chair of the conference Dr. Usama Ijaz Bajwa, extended a warm welcome to the attendees and provided an overview of the event. FIT serves as a platform for hosting a wide array of research and intellectual activities. The current edition received 258 technical paper submissions, underwent a rigorous blind review process, resulting in the acceptance of 59 papers i.e. an acceptance ratio of 23 percent. Speakers from France, Netherlands, China, Ireland, Portugal, UK, USA and Pakistan are participating in the two-day conference.
The event was honored by the presence of Mr. Ahmed Bilal Masood, Deputy CEO of Huawei Technologies, who highlighted that Huawei dedicates 10 percent of its worldwide revenue to foster innovation and research. He also mentioned that, followed by Chinese, Pakistanis constitute the second-largest nationality working with Huawei.
Keynote speaker, Dr. Anne Martel, a Professor in Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto, is a Senior Scientist and Tory Family Chair in Oncology at Sunnybrook Research Institute, focused on application of artificial intelligence (AI) to healthcare, particularly in medical imaging. AI algorithms in radiology and pathology show promise in addressing challenges like the shortage of qualified professionals in the field said Dr. Martel. By automating routine tasks, flagging abnormalities, and enhancing workflow efficiency, AI aids in managing workloads. It also optimizes limited resources, guiding healthcare workers and expediting patient scans. Despite successes, hurdles exist in translating research algorithms to clinical settings. Dr. Martel proposed insights for realizing AI’s full potential in healthcare.
Upon commencing the conference, Dr. Sohail Asghar, General Chair / Incharge Islamabad Campus, informed that over nineteen-year history, this conference has evolved into a premier international event, bringing together brilliant minds globally to advance technology and innovation. Prof. Asghar said that the agenda for FIT’23 encompasses diverse domains such as Computational Methods, AI, Intelligent Systems, and more. Prof. Asghar hoped that the conference would be able to shape the future of information technology, disseminate cutting-edge knowledge, address challenges, and build a robust professional community.
The two-day conference will comprise a series of invited talks as part of its technical program which will provide an opportunity to scholars to present their ongoing research to gather feedback from industry experts.
