Discourses

SOLD OUT IN PERSON Discourse: Digital intelligence vs biological intelligence

2024 Nobel winner Geoffrey Hinton explains what AI has learned, and is still learning, from biological intelligence.

Abstract image of aritificial intelligence
geralt via Pixabay

Tech headlines in the last couple of years have been dominated by Artificial Intelligence. But what do we mean by intelligence? What has AI learned from biological intelligence, and how do they still differ?

Acclaimed computer scientist, and winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, Geoffrey Hinton will examine the similarities and differences between artificial and biological intelligence, following his decades of ground-breaking work which has enabled the neural networks of today.

Event type

This is a theatre and livestream event for an adult audience, where the speakers and audience in our Theatre are joined by our audience online. 

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For any queries regarding this event please get in touch by phone 020 7409 2992 or email events@ri.ac.uk.

About Geoffrey Hinton

Geoffrey Hinton
University of Toronto

Geoffrey Hinton is Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, and a world renowned expert in the field of deep learning. He is often referred to as the "Godfather of AI", and in 2024 was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics "for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks".

He is a fellow of the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Canada, and has been recognised with many awards around the world including the Turing Award, the Royal Society Royal Medal, and Dickson Prize.

Hinton received a BA in Experimental Psychology from the University of Cambridge in 1970 and his PhD in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Edinburgh in 1978. Following postdoctoral work at Sussex University and the University of California San Diego, he joined the Computer Science department at Carnegie Mellon University, before moving to the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto in 1987. He set up the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit at University College London before becoming University Professor in Toronto in 2006 and latterly University Professor Emeritus. Since 2017, Hinton has been Chief Scientific Advisor at the Vector Institute in Toronto.

Timing

Doors to the Theatre will open at about 6.50pm.

All attendees must be seated in the Theatre by 7.20pm. The Discourse will start promptly at 7.30pm.

A Pay Bar will be available from 6.00pm. It will open again after the talk, until 9.30pm.

 

More about Discourses

Discourses are one of the Ri’s oldest and most prestigious series of talks. Since 1825, audiences in the theatre have witnessed countless mind-expanding moments, including the first public liquefaction of air by James Dewar, the announcement of the electron by JJ Thomson and over 100 lectures by Michael Faraday. In more recent times, we have had Nobel laureates, Fields medal winners, scientists, authors and artists – all from the leading-edge of their field. Discourses are an opportunity for the best and brightest to share their work with the world.

Steeped in two centuries of tradition, a Discourse is more than just a lecture. To keep the focus on the topic, presenters begin sharply at 7:30pm without introduction and we lock the speaker into a room ten minutes ahead of the start (legend has it that a speaker once tried to escape!). Some of our guests dress smartly for our Discourse events to add to this sense of occasion.

Find out more about the history of the Friday Evening Discourses on our blog.

Accessibility

The event will take place on the first floor and there is step-free access from the street via lift.

The closest underground station is Green Park, which is step-free.

There is space at floor level in the theatre for wheelchair users.

Seating is usually unreserved for our events. If you and your group require seating reservations, please do let us know by emailing us at events@ri.ac.uk, and we’ll be more than happy to help.

Carers can receive a free ticket to an event by emailing events@ri.ac.uk.

Our theatre is equipped with an Audio Induction Loop. 

Event terms and conditions