Talks and shows

The Turing Lectures:What is generative AI?

Join us for a three-part lecture series on how AI broke the internet in collaboration with The Alan Turing Institute.

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In this series, we'll explore the various angles of large-language models and generative AI in the public eye. Across three lectures, we aim to provide a comprehensive, thoughtful and engaging understanding of this rapidly emerging field and its impact on society.

  1. The Turing Lectures: What is generative AI?
  2. The Turing Lectures: Addressing the risks of generative AI
  3. The Turing Lectures: The future of generative AI

An access fund is available for anyone who would not otherwise be able to attend. Please contact events@turing.ac.uk to enquire.

Chapter 1: What is generative AI?

Please note that this event took place on 22 September 2023 a YouTube recording will be released in the coming months.

Generative AI refers to a type of artificial intelligence that involves creating new and original data or content. Unlike traditional AI models that rely on large datasets and algorithms to classify or predict outcomes, generative AI models are designed to learn the underlying patterns and structure of the data and generate novel outputs that mimic human creativity.

ChatGPT is perhaps the most well-known example, but the field is far larger and more varied than text generation. Other applications of generative AI include image and video synthesis, speech generation, music composition, and virtual reality.

In this lecture, Mirella Lapata will present an overview of this exciting—sometimes controversial—and rapidly evolving field.

Mirella Lapata is professor of natural language processing in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. Her research focuses on getting computers to understand, reason with, and generate natural language. She is the first recipient (2009) of the British Computer Society and Information Retrieval Specialist Group (BCS/IRSG) Karen Sparck Jones award and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the ACL, and Academia Europaea.

Chapter 2: Addressing the risks of generative AI

As generative AI becomes increasingly sophisticated, its potential to revolutionize the way we interact with data is clear. It has already shown its ability to assist with tasks such as image and video synthesis, text and speech generation, and music composition. However, the rapid development of generative AI models has also raised concerns about their misuse, particularly in the context of disinformation campaigns, deepfakes and online harassment.

Are generative AI models moving too fast for regulation to keep up? Will the development of generative AI outpace our ability to ensure their responsible use?

In this lecture, Mhairi Aitken will examine what this means for online and offline safety and discuss how society might be able to mitigate these risks.

Mhairi Aitken is an Ethics Fellow in the Public Policy Programme at The Alan Turing Institute, and an Honorary Senior Fellow at Australian Centre for Health Engagement, Evidence and Values (ACHEEV) at the University of Wollongong in Australia. She is a Sociologist whose research examines social and ethical dimensions of digital innovation particularly relating to uses of data and AI. She was included in the 2023 international list of “100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics”.

Chapter 3: The future of generative AI (Discourse)

In the final lecture of the series, we will explore the potential futures of generative AI, and what they could mean for AI applications as the technology progresses.

With their ability to generate human-like language and complete a variety of tasks, generative AI has the potential to revolutionize the way we communicate, learn and work. But what other doors will this technology open for us, and how can we harness it to make great leaps in technology innovation? Have we finally done it? Have we cracked AI?

Join 2023 CHRISTMAS LECTURER Michael Wooldridge for a fascinating discussion on the possibilities and challenges of generative AI models, and their potential impact on future societies.

Michael Wooldridge is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Oxford. He has been an AI researcher for more than 30 years, and has published more than 400 scientific articles on the subject. He is a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of AI (AAAI), and a Fellow of the European Association for AI (EurAI).

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. 

By booking to attend events at the Royal Institution, you confirm that you have read and accept the Ri's event terms and conditions. You also agree to abide by our code of conduct, and help to create a great experience for yourself and your fellow participants. Please note that Eventbrite adds a small booking fee to the amount paid for each ticket option.

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

Timing

Doors to the theatre will open at 6.45pm and the talk will begin at 7.00pm.

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. 

Covid guidelines

Face masks are no longer mandatory and wearing one in our Theatre and at other Ri events is at your discretion, however please do not attend the Ri if you are displaying Covid symptoms or, if you have tested, the result remains positive. Thank you for respecting other people and their choices, and for helping us keep all of our visitors and staff safe and well.

Event terms and conditions

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