In an enlightening session, Lieven Scheire took us on a captivating journey through the evolution and current state of Artificial Intelligence. From the humble beginnings of AI, hindered by insufficient computing power, to today's powerful machines enabling revolutionary applications like DALL-E, Lieven covered it all.

The AI Revolution: Pattern Recognition vs. Classical Programming 💡

Lieven shed light on the AI revolution, emphasizing the shift from classical programming to pattern recognition. He drew parallels with Clippy, Microsoft's once-revolutionary but often annoying virtual assistant, as an early example of AI attempting to understand and assist users.

The Power of Modern Smartphones: Beyond Apollo 11 🚀

Drawing attention to the incredible advancements, Lieven highlighted that today's smartphones are a staggering 100,000 times more powerful than the computing power used for the Apollo 11 mission. This immense power fuels AI applications that were once unimaginable. Diving into AI Use Cases: From Photomath to Multilingual Video Translation using Google Translate 🌐

Lieven presented various AI use cases, from solving math problems with apps like Photomath to using Google Translate for real-time translation of traffic signs or menus using your smartphone's camera. He even showcased the futuristic ability to translate videos of oneself into different languages with corresponding mouth movements and voices.

The Enigma of Neural Networks: Explained with a Dice 🎲

With a touch of humor, Lieven demystified the complexity of neural networks by comparing them to a dice. This analogy provided a simple yet effective understanding of how these networks function.

Unveiling the Black Box: AI's Self-Training Mystery 🤖

Lieven delved into the "black box" nature of AI, emphasizing that as machines train themselves, humans struggle to comprehend the inner workings. This becomes problematic, especially when AI makes errors, and understanding its reasoning is crucial.

Tackling Bias in AI: The Challenge of Training Data 🔄

Discussing a significant challenge, Lieven pointed out biases in training data, illustrated by instances where AI associates snow with huskies or wolves based on the background. Addressing this bias is essential for ethical and accurate AI applications.

AI Surpassing Human Abilities: From Board Games to Biology 🎮

Lieven showcased instances where AI outperforms humans, such as in games like Go and chess. He touched upon the fascinating case of Alphafold, created by DeepMind, which solved the protein folding problem—a longstanding challenge in biology.

The Dual Role of Captcha: Testing Robots and Training AI 🤖💡

Surprising the audience, Lieven highlighted that Captcha serves not only as a test for robots but also as a tool to train AI. For example, teaching AI to recognize objects like traffic lights.

ChatGPT's Strength Unveiled 🗣️💬

In a powerful demonstration, Lieven showcased the capabilities of ChatGPT, emphasizing its strength in natural language processing and interaction. The audience witnessed firsthand the potential of AI in generating human-like text.

Wrapping Up: Thank You, Lieven! 👏

A heartfelt thank you to Lieven Scheire for taking us on this insightful journey through the world of AI. From its humble beginnings to the complex challenges and incredible advancements, Lieven left us with a deeper understanding and appreciation for the power of Artificial Intelligence.