Is it hot here, or is it just our audience for the AI & ML event?
Sorry for the bad joke — but that really made me crack my code.
This event was one of the largest audiences we've had this year, and that says a lot. The term AI continues to be thrown mercilessly around by inexperienced "AI gurus" in an attempt to stay relevant. This naturally raises the question of what machine learning and artificial intelligence truly are — which, to the surprise of many, is a purely mathematical procedure.
A packed room for our AI & ML event
Why Mathematics Matters in AI
And that, as a Maths Society event, is cool! Most of us once dreamt of being astronauts, building cool machines, working with technology, or curing diseases. But one thing many of us (modulo a few hypermotivated math majors) didn't dream of doing was... math itself.
Math has often felt like an additional topic without much symbolic meaning. But to truly comprehend the machinery behind building and innovation, we must understand the math behind every step. This is exactly what Ahmed Maghri explored in his delightful talk.
The Mathematics Behind ChatGPT
The mathematical foundations of AI
Don't worry — we did the deconfiguration of our minds after that equation. It turns out that ChatGPT itself needs math to process questions and compute answers. The large language model uses probability to predict the next word — kind of like when you're struck for words yourself. (At that point, our wires were exploding in curiousness!)
Ahmed demonstrating AI concepts
Explaining Markov Chains and their applications in AI
Breaking down sensor models and transition states
Deep dive into neural networks and deep learning
A Mathematical Success
This event was our first official Math Society event, and it was a success. Besides the laughs, we learned to appreciate the mathematical beauty behind AI. So no, we can't say, "He tried to impress me, but his humor was artificial."
- AI and machine learning are fundamentally mathematical processes
- Large language models like ChatGPT use probability and statistics to generate text
- Understanding the math behind AI helps demystify the technology
- Innovation in tech requires a solid foundation in mathematics
Need More Help?
If you have more questions about AI, machine learning, or any mathematical concepts, visit our amazing tutors during Math Support Center!
When: Saturday, 14:00
Where: West Hall 7
Stay aware of our next events — if not, you might be "gambling" away all your chances of a fun semester with us!