July 04, 2025
Bulletin interne de l'Institut Pasteur
AI events: report on sessions in the first half year and future activities
In March, a general training initiative focused on acculturation to generative artificial intelligence (AI) and practical uses of AI tools was launched for the Institut Pasteur community.
The generative AI training series began with two masterclasses followed by four monthly webinars led by AI experts, with more than a thousand participants in total (an average of 130 people at each webinar).
The first half of the "AI events" came to an end on Thursday July 3, with the fourth webinar in the cycle, entitled "Preparing presentations and speeches with AI." Why was this training initiative launched? What feedback has been received from participants? And what lies ahead in September?
Interview with Nicolas Colombini
Head of the Institut Pasteur's Skills and Training Office, who is behind the program
1. What made you want to launch this artificial intelligence training series?
AI, especially generative AI, is developing rapidly and is already having an impact on our jobs. So we felt it was crucial to offer training for all staff as soon as possible. Together with colleagues, teaching staff and scientists, we developed something very practical, in line with the Institut Pasteur's needs. The idea was to familiarize people with the basics of AI while also demonstrating applied use cases, so that everyone can understand what it can do and how we can use it in our work.
2. How did you choose the topics covered in the webinars?
We wanted to focus on real-life uses of generative AI, in line with the day-to-day experiences of the Institut Pasteur community. Since plenty has already been written about AI applied to research – there is already a dedicated program for PhD students –, we chose to emphasize what we referred to as "production AI" – in other words everything that can help us save time on day-to-day tasks, especially repetitive or routine tasks like writing emails or minutes. The idea was for it to be relevant to all staff, whether scientists or research support teams. And of course, all the demos were done with models available on LibreChat,** in a secure AI environment on campus.
3. What feedback have you had from participants?
The feedback has been very positive, especially after the masterclasses, when the live chat worked very well. Some testimonials from participants can be found here! Although some participants were worried that the content would be too technical or specialized, in the end they found it practical and really useful. The high number of participants also speaks for itself: some people attended all the sessions from start to finish. The training series was successful because of all the collective work that was put into it in advance, involving several people on campus and addressing topics related to daily working experiences. And the speakers found the right tone – they were accessible and dynamic but also knowledgeable. That made people want to stay – and come back!
4. Can you tell us what is coming up next? What can we look forward to in September for the next part of this AI acculturation series?
Yes, of course. The "AI events" will be continuing in September, and that's great news! The team is preparing new formats, with the support of Laurent Essioux (CR2I) and Stéphane Fournier (DSI): web conferences on topics such as configuring AI agents,* using AI for proactive monitoring of trends and developments, and a comparative chart to compare the uses, characteristics and energy impacts of different models. We are also thinking of running practical workshops to generate prompts together. More targeted masterclasses on aspects of finance, HR, etc. are also being considered. So we have a lot of ideas in what is a fascinating and constantly moving field.
*AI agents: if you are wondering what an AI agent is (a bit like a smart assistant), then why not check out the webinar videos! (link below)
See the feedback from a few participants
Click to read the full testimonials
Find out more
• Over the summer, before the AI events start up again, take the opportunity to check out the videos of the masterclasses and webinars
Link to the videos and presentations
• The Pasteur Learn platform also contains e-learning content about AI and how to incorporate it into your daily working practices
Link to the Pasteur Learn playlist
• **LibreChat is a service that gives Institut Pasteur staff access to several generative model providers (you first need to validate the awareness training given by the Information Systems Security Department teams, available on TalentSoft). Access is generally given 24 hours after eLearning completion).