Thought Provoking AI Talk by Google Deepmind’s Antonia Paterson 

Unbeknown to most, AI has been in existence for decades, quietly and inconspicuously used in research, mostly focused in STEM related fields.

It moved into the public consciousness largely by virtue of companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon, who used it to extract, secure and disseminate information to ‘improve and personalise the customer experience’. 

Whether or not you approve of the way in which personal information is captured and used by a multitude of companies worldwide, the fact remains AI is now deemed essential across a vast array of industries, including health care, banking, retail, and manufacturing. It therefore comes as no surprise that the ethical challenges and opportunities presented by AI technologies have been a talking point since its creation and have continued to escalate over the past decade.

Just before the half term break, students were enthralled by a lecture given by Antonia Paterson of Google DeepMind, Science Manager, Responsible Development and Innovation Team. Antonia spoke largely about the challenges faced by companies in ensuring the priority of safeguarding humans is upheld at all times. 

Those students fortunate enough to secure a seat in the full capacity library were given the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the talk…which they did in bounds. Antonio very graciously answered a slew of interesting and inquiring questions from students across many year groups.

Antonia remarked ‘the questions were on par with those she is asked by new recruits to DeepMind when they are inducted to her course’. 

Many thanks for everyone’s part in making this event a success, especially Antonia. Her generosity in sharing her time and knowledge of this cutting-edge technology allowed our students to consider a unique perspective of a field associated with many subjects studied at the Academy, namely, Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Sociology.