Inside ChatGPT: A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Modern AI

Can machines think? Does ChatGPT understand? Pierre Mackenzie will let you decide for yourself. In this talk, he will give a brief history of AI and an overview of the field of machine learning with a focus on the bedrock of many modern AI systems—the artificial neural network. He will conclude by examining what we understand well, what remains unclear, and why it matters.

Pierre received his bachelor's degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of Edinburgh and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Computer Science at the University of British Columbia. He has conducted machine learning research in both academic and industrial settings, with applications in finance, biomedicine, photography, natural language processing, and music. His current research interests focus on the design of evaluation mechanisms that promote socially beneficial outcomes in metric-driven systems.