The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in creating a sustainable future will be explored by a University academic who is among the speakers at the inaugural TEDx Aberdeen taking place on 31 July.
Georgios Leontidis, the University’s Interim Director for Data & AI, has been selected to deliver a talk entitled ‘Our sustainable future through the lens of Data and Artificial Intelligence’ at the event being held at the Aberdeen Arts Centre.
Started in 1984 as a conference where technology, entertainment and design converge, TED talks are now world-renowned. TEDx is a program of local, self‐organised events that bring people together to share a TED‐like experience via a series of short and inspiring talks, up to 18 minutes long, on a diverse range of topics and perspectives.
TEDxAberdeen will bring 100 people together under one roof to hear from a range of speakers on a diverse range of subjects, linked by the theme ‘new ways of seeing old things’.
Georgios will talk about how the technology, data and AI we are using in our daily lives can contribute to our sustainable future.
He explained: “With AI playing a vital role on how we support decision making and action planning, and with the ever increasing availability of data, it is inevitable that sustainability actions in areas such as agri-food and energy will benefit from current and future advancements in areas of AI, such as machine learning.
“To succeed with this, new perspectives and new ways of seeing things are needed, for which future generations – the scientists of tomorrow – with their creativity, curiosity and elements of co-creation will have a major role to play.
“I’m excited to give this talk in a city such as Aberdeen that is working towards its ambitious plans to become a sustainable and smart city – and what better place to start the conversation than TEDx!”
Elisa Doucette, TEDxAberdeen programme curator added: “TEDx events are unique in the way they are organised, curated and attended. They are all about the ideas and the power of those ideas to change lives and ultimately the world.
“Choosing the final roster of ideas has been a rigorous process given the overwhelming response to our call for applications. As programme curator, it is my job to read through all the applications, watch the videos and prepare the short list of ideas for consideration by the wider team and ensure the ideas flow together, creating a memorable experience for our audience and speakers alike”