Edinburgh Futures Institute is delighted to announce the opening of “Love Machine” – our second season of events running from 6 March to May 2023.
The Institute officially launched its spring event on 30 January with a reception at Inspace, where many of the season’s in-person events will take place.
The season’s theme “Love Machine” focuses on the interdisciplinarity of Artificial Intelligence (AI), data and machine learning technologies and how we make room for such technologies within our daily lives, workplaces, families and wider cultures. The co-produced events will explore interconnections of AI, data and machine learning with other disciplines, from the arts and humanities, sciences and engineering.
Like EFI’s inaugural First Breath: Autumn 2022 season, Love Machine: Spring 2023 programme will offer a range of live events – in person, online and hybrid – including conversations, readings, participatory workshops and commissioned performances.
All events are free to attend and open to the public.
AI Prompt Battle
The “Love Machine” launch event also included an “AI prompt battle” organised by Data+Design Lab between Vassilis Galanos (Teaching Fellow in Science, Technology and Innovation Studies) and Daga Panas (Data Scientist, Data Science Unit for Science, Health, People, and Environment), who were challenged to visualise a “Love Machine” in seven minutes.
Taking inspiration from the Prompt Battle format developed at HTW Dresden, the activity encouraged the audience to get curious and excited about experimenting with generative, text-to-image software through a live demonstration, aligning with the season’s theme.
The Future of Artificial Intelligence
The Love Machine theme aligns with the University’s fourth Edinburgh Futures Conversation series, as well as celebrations of 60 years of Computer Science and AI research at the University.
In the first panel event of the Futures Conversations series, “Shaping our AI Futures”, the University of Edinburgh bring’s together leading experts from the worlds of science, politics, and civil society to debate what our AI futures may bring.
The panelists – Petra Molnar, Kate Crawford, Stuart Russell, Pascale Fung, and William Isaac – will share ideas for what is needed to advance our collective ability to put AI to the best possible use.
The second Conversations event, “Between Two Waters,” is a performance by choreographer and dance artist, Madeline Squire.
Her performance explores the delicate and intricately evolving relationship between humans and machines, through a dynamic interaction between a dancer and a soft robot as the focal point
Looking forward
Professor Chris Speed, Edinburgh Futures Institute Director said:
“We are excited to launch the Love Machine: Spring 2023 event season which spotlights how AI, beyond data and technology, connects with the intimacies of our everyday lives. Like our inaugural event, ‘Love Machine’ gives you a sense of the range of interdisciplinary collaborations we support at the institute. We hope audiences will enjoy and support this season’s events just as much as our ‘First Breath’ season.”
Further information
To see the full programme of the Love Machine: Spring 2023 season, and to book tickets, go to: https://efi.ed.ac.uk/events-overview/
Subscribe to our mailing list for invites and updates on upcoming events here: https://efi.ed.ac.uk/events-overview/subscription/
Information about the “Prompt Battle” format
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