Garrett Kenyon, who is breaking ground in the field of euromimetic computing, is the speaker for Monday evening’s Science on Tap at ptojectY cowork. Courtesy photo
LACD NEWS
Join the Bradbury Science Museum and the Los Alamos Creative District for Science On Tap Monday, July 15 at 5:30 p.m. at projectY cowork. This On Tap will feature a conversation with Garrett Kenyon about artificial intelligence (AI) and how computers learn to imagine the future.
Do you use Siri, Apple’s virtual personal assistant? If so, then you’ve used AI. If that makes you nervous, you’re not alone. After all, popular culture has cultivated societal fears of self-replicating and autonomous androids for over a century. However, Los Alamos’ research in the field of artificial intelligence, or “augmented intelligence” as some now call it, is all about far-reaching national security applications, not about creating self-aware machines bent on sublimating humanity.
Creating AI that meets the exacting standards required for these applications is an ambitious endeavor bringing neuroscientists, computational scientists, physicists, and other researchers together under the umbrella of computational neuroscience. Garrett Kenyon of the Lab’s Computer, Computational and Statistical Sciences Division is breaking ground in that very field, also known as neuromimetic computing: building computers that process data in much the same way your human brain does, with neural networks. By modeling computer deliberation after our own, super-efficient, neural-network processes, Garrett hopes to improve machines’ ability to interpret and assess their surroundings.
Science On Tap is sponsored by the Los Alamos Creative District and hosted by the Bradbury Science Museum. The On Tap series begins each evening with an informal 10-15 minute lecture followed by a lively group discussion. All ages are welcome! On Tap is a way for people to get out and about in the community, learn something new, and meet people with similar interests. The “On Tap” series happens twice a month. The discussions are supported by Bradbury Science Museum, Los Alamos Arts Council/Fuller Lodge Art Center, Los Alamos Historical Society and PEEC at The Nature Center.
Registration for this event is not required. Admission is free. UnQuarked Wine Room by Sirphey will be offering a wide selection of wines at this event.
More information about Science On Tap and other Bradbury Science Museum programs and events can be found at https://www.lanl.gov/museum/events/.
The Los Alamos Creative District is a program of Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corporation; a private, not-for-profit economic and community development organization serving the Los Alamos area since 1983. LACDC serves as the umbrella organization for the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce, Los Alamos MainStreet, Discover Los Alamos, Los Alamos Small Business Center, Los Alamos Creative District, projectY cowork Los Alamos, and the Los Alamos Research Park.