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Jeanette Winterson in Conversation with Ameca
7th October 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM BST
Artificial intelligence is advancing at an ever-increasing rate, prompting questions about how these developments will impact all aspects of our society, learning, and the arts. What better way to tease out these questions than a conversation between an author and a robot. Join novelist Jeanette Winterson as she speaks with Ameca, the most advanced humanoid robot. Their conversation will be followed by a panel event exploring these themes further. This is the opening event of our Learning Curves season, held in partnership with the National Robotarium.
Jeanette Winterson CBE was born in Manchester. She published her first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, at twenty-five. Over two decades later she revisited that material in her internationally bestselling memoir Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?. Winterson has written thirteen novels for adults and two previous collections of short stories, as well as children’s books, non-fiction and screenplays. She is Professor of New Writing at the University of Manchester. She lives in the Cotswolds in a wood and in Spitalfields, London.
Ameca is an advanced humanoid robot based at the National Robotarium in Edinburgh. The world-leading centre for robotics and AI purchased Ameca – the first UK facility to do so – in their efforts to build public trust and adoption of robotics.
Prior to this, Ameca was based in Cornwall, at Engineered Arts studios, who created the cutting-edge humanoid robot. She is designed as a platform for AI and human-robot interaction research, demonstrating the latest advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence. Ameca is particularly notable for her highly realistic facial expressions and ability to engage in natural conversations, making her an ideal tool for exploring how robots can interact with humans in more intuitive and human-like ways. By showcasing Ameca’s capabilities through its public outreach and education programmes, the National Robotarium will seek to break down barriers and build trust between humans and robots.
As a software, AI, and robotics engineer with over 20 years of experience in science and industry, Ingo is leading the National Robotariumʼs growing team of robotics engineers as they test and develop new technologies and systems to address real-world challenges. He has in-depth, hands-on experience with many robotic systems, including all phases of software development, life-cycle management and DevOps tooling. Ingo co-founded and led engineering teams in robotics, software architecture, and database management systems at several start-up companies. Throughout this time, he developed an understanding of the potential of emerging technologies for addressing industry challenges. Ingoʼs passion lies in disseminating the knowledge and expertise of the National Robotariumʼs talented team. His aim is to foster robotics skills across various sectors, ensuring individuals are equipped with the necessary tools to operate and manage robotics and AI. He is also dedicated to advocating the positive impact of these technologies on society.
Books by JL Williams include Condition of Fire (Shearsman, 2011), Locust and Marlin (Shearsman, 2014), House of the Tragic Poet (If A Leaf Falls Press, 2016), After Economy (Shearsman, 2017) and Origin (Shearsman, 2022). Published widely in journals, her poetry has been translated into numerous languages. She has read at international literature festivals and venues in the UK, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Turkey, Cyprus, Canada, Hungary, Romania, Montenegro and the US. She wrote the libretto for the opera Snow which debuted in London in 2017, was awarded a bursary to develop a new opera with composer Samantha Fernando at the Royal Opera House and was a librettist for the award-winning 2020 covid-response Episodes project by The Opera Story. She was commissioned to write the 2023 English Touring Opera children’s opera, The Wish Gatherer. Williams is hopeful about the simple and mysterious power of poetry that allows us to know ourselves, each other and the world more deeply.
