This page is a backup being retained whilst the new “events” calendar beds in.

2020

Feb 17th. Artificial Intelligence. University of Aston. Dr Peter Lewis;

We are entering into a world where many of the machines that we are developing, using, and working with on a day-to-day basis behave in ways that we neither understand nor can fully control. The complexity associated with so-called intelligent systems, and how they work, is fast surpassing human understanding, yet this complexity is often where their value lies. It is perhaps not surprising, then, that ‘trust’ has become a hot topic in AI, but what does it mean to trust a machine? Can machines really be trustworthy? How might we make trust decisions, given the nature of machines? And should this be the same as the way humans make decisions when deciding whether to trust other people or animals, or is it more like the informal way we might talk of trusting a car to start on a cold morning? I will construct a thought experiment: ‘what is it like to trust X’, where X may be any of the wide variety of things animate, inanimate, human, animal, vegetable or mineral, that are both found and built by people. I will propose and illustrate an integrated model for trust decisions, and illustrate how it varies between kinds of objects that we might be considering trusting in a particular context.

Peter’s research aims to understand how to create autonomous, socially intelligent systems that perform higher-level cognition like self-awareness. He is interested in where AI meets society, and how to help that relationship work well. Peter has made significant contributions to the field of self-aware computing, including the foundational book Self-aware Computing Systems: An Engineering Approach, in 2016. More broadly, his research is often inspired by biological, social and psychological processes, and has been applied in smart camera networks, interactive music, manufacturing, cloud computing, and IoT. He is Director of the £1.7m Think Beyond Data initiative, which provides an artificial intelligence R&D capability to SMEs across the Midlands of England. Peter also co-founded the software house Beautiful Canoe, a social enterprise whose vision is to develop the technology leaders of the future. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the International Conference on Autonomic Computing and Self-Organizing Systems (ACSOS) and an Associate Editor of IEEE Technology & Society Magazine.

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Mar 16th. Digital Manufacturing, 3D Printing and robotics. Todd Williams, University of Warwick and Printed Electronics Ltd.

Todd Williams has a BSc in Mechanical Engineering, and an MBA in technological entrepreneurship. He has worked on jet engines for the F22, a structural test lab for the International Space Station, and on business cases for geostationary satellites. He has founded or joined start-ups in aerospace, automotive, software, and now flexible digital manufacturing. Pertinent to tonight’s subject he has worked on many industrial 3D printing projects.

“I will talk about 3D printing, robotics, and design tools, all of it is coming along now, even scanning, however it isn’t quite there yet. In my start-up company (Functional Structures Limited) I am looking to develop a system that will manufacture a simple electronic device in one go; circuit board, wires, connectors, and 3D printed enclosure. This uses 3D printing, digital manufacturing, and robotics to make a complete device in small or large batches. It is the right time to start trying to do these things. The question for me is who would buy them, hence my interest in discussions around the wider market issues.”

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April 20th. The great wave across Doggerland – how Britain survived the Storrega tsunami. Professor Robin Allaby, University of Warwick

Provisionally May: visit to Vitsoe factory, Leamington details to come

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May 18th. “Can we make a realistic and ethical laboratory model of chronic lung infection?” Dr Freya Harrison, School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick

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June 15th. Topic to be decided. Chris Goodall of Carbon Commentary

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July 20th. 5G Network pluses and minuses Prof Steve Ferguson

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August no meeting

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Sept 21 Funding research Leah Fitszimmons

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October 19th Tracking environmental pollution Profs Bob Lee and John Colbourne

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Nov 16th tba

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Dec 14th Computational Chemistry Prof Rob Deeth