Second Research Discovery Days brings together researchers and industry leaders to build collaborative relationships
On November 2 the Faculty of Mathematics will host the second-ever Research Discovery Days, an event that showcases cutting-edge faculty and student research and facilitates partnerships with industry leaders and the larger community.
The event, which is sponsored by the Math Innovation Office, will focus on “Mitigating Risks of AI.” Keynotes, research presentations, and a panel discussion will all address the ethical dilemmas and security risks posed by artificial intelligence.
Within the last year, conversational AI systems like ChatGPT and text-to-image generators like Stable Diffusion have achieved widespread use. The rapid adoption of AI has creating concerns across multiple sectors regarding the risks of this brand-new technology. From the easy manipulation of sound and images to anxieties about people’s jobs being replaced by AI, many people are worried that they will be “left out of the future,” explains Charles Clarke, associate dean for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
“Researchers at Waterloo were part of the communities from which these techniques emerged,” Clarke says. “Our researchers understand these technologies and the risks they pose from many standpoints.”
Research Discovery Days will provide people with an opportunity to interact with these researchers. “While we can provide no easy answers, we hope to increase awareness of these risks, explore the limitations of these technologies, and anticipate possible solutions to the problems they will create,” he says.
Three of these Waterloo researchers will be delivering keynotes. Legal expert and Research Professor Maura R. Grossman will discuss the ways in which AI is already being used in industry, and what tools are available to make AI trustworthy.
Florian Kerschbaum, the inaugural director of the Waterloo Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute, will discuss the requirements and definitions of reliable AI content labelling, and the limitations of watermarking.
Finally, Mei Nagappan, associate professor of Computer Science, will discuss how generative AI may impact the field of software engineering.
The event will also emphasize the importance of partnerships and will include spaces devoted to networking. “We are very excited to be hosting an industry-academic panel at this year’s event, which will highlight opportunities for collaboration in this important area of inquiry,” says Stephanie Whitney, director for Research & Innovation Partnerships. “Now more than ever, the intersections and interactions between theory and application are vital to ensure that AI develops in a responsible and socially beneficial manner.”
“Events like Research Discovery Days are important for building bridges between our researchers and the larger community,” says Mark Giesbrecht, dean of the Faculty of Mathematics. “We are proud to facilitate this important conversation about the unique challenges and opportunities posed by rapid developments in artificial intelligence.”
You can learn more about Research Discovery Days by visiting the event page.
