Author: amb24

Distinguished Lecture Series: The Atomic Human: Understanding Ourselves in the Age of AI

  • Tuesday 12 March
  • Booth Lecture Theatre, Medical Sciences Building.

We look forward to welcoming Prof Neil Lawrence, Cambridge who will talk about ‘The Atomic Human: Understanding Ourselves in the Age of AI’.

A vital perspective is missing from the discussions we are having about Artificial Intelligence: what does it mean for our identity?

Our fascination with AI stems from the perceived uniqueness of human intelligence. We believe it is what differentiates us. Fears of AI not only concern how it invades our digital lives but also the implied threat of an intelligence that displaces us from our position at the centre of the world.

Atomism, proposed by Democritus, suggested it was impossible to continue dividing matter down into ever smaller components: eventually, we reach a point where a cut cannot be made (the Greek for uncuttable is ‘atom’). In the same way, by slicing away at the facets of human intelligence that can be replaced by machines, AI uncovers what is left: an indivisible core that is the essence of humanity.

By contrasting our own (evolved, locked-in, embodied) intelligence with the capabilities of machine intelligence through history, The
Atomic Human reveals the technical origins, capabilities, and limitations of AI systems, and how they should be wielded. Not just
by the experts, but by ordinary people. Either AI is a tool for us, or we become a tool of AI. Understanding this will enable us to choose
the future we want.

This talk is based on Neil’s forthcoming book to be published with Allen Lane in June 2024. Machine learning solutions, in particular
those based on deep learning methods, form an underpinning of the the current revolution in “artificial intelligence” that has dominated
popular press headlines and is having a significant influence on the wider tech agenda.

In this talk, I will give an overview of where we are now with machine learning solutions, and what challenges we face both in the
near and far future. These include practical application of existing algorithms in the face of the need to explain decision-making,
mechanisms for improving the quality and availability of data, dealing with large unstructured datasets.

Winter Graduation reception

We would like to invite our graduating students and their guests to join us for a celebration in honour of their achievements. Please join us for a small reception with a glass of bubbly and some Fisher and Donaldson’s cakes.

The event will take place on Tuesday, November 28th, between 12 noon and 2 p.m. at the Jack Cole coffee area.

We look forward to commemorating this special occasion together.

Lecturer Vacancy

The School of Computer Science is looking to recruit a lecturer as part of a large on-going expansion of our academic staff and to support our evolving approach to digital teaching.

We wish to appoint a lecturer (either Education track, or Education and Research track) to join our vibrant teaching and research community, which is ranked among the top venues for Computer Science education and research worldwide.  The School develops deep science and technology across the discipline of computer science, which informs and underpins our teaching at undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels.   We are expanding our teaching programmes to include digital modes of delivery to allow us to teach a broader range of students than would ever be able to physically move to St Andrews for the duration of a traditional programme.

The is an exciting departure that lets us take the School’s reputation for teaching excellence to an extended audience, including individuals seeking to upskill within employment, those seeking a career change, and those with other constraints on their time and location. In the first instance this will involve the development of an entirely new digital-only MSc programme in data science.

We are seeking dynamic, collegial individuals who value teaching and research excellence to support the expansion and development of our strengths in data and computational science centred around our Artificial Intelligence and Systems research groups. The right candidate will be able to contribute to research and teaching in an appropriate area – including, but not limited to, computational science, data analytics, machine learning for data interpretation, scientific visualisation – as well as being involved in the development and delivery of “born-digital” teaching resources and assessment methods sitting alongside more traditional approaches and materials.

Please see the linked advert for more information!

First year welcome reception

We would like to invite all of our first year students for snacks and refreshments in the CS Coffee area this evening (06/09/23) at 5-6pm.

This will be a good opportunity to meet some of the staff and fellow students.

Orientation 2023

We are looking forward to welcoming our students to the new academic year.

Scheduled for the week starting from Monday, September 4th, the Computer Science orientation programme includes details about various events, and sessions for our staff and students.

For more general information the University Orientation and Induction Information provides students with an overview of the university, its services, and important dates to mark on their calendars.

See you all soon!

School of Computer Science, Jack Cole Building