Abstract

We invite you to our first talk of the new term by Katja Hofmann, who has been investigating how Minecraft can be used as a platform for AI experimentation, and investigating what makes us human.

Abstract: The idea of building machines that think and behave like people has captured people’s imagination for centuries. But what is it really that makes us intelligent? What makes us, humans, intelligent, and what does this tell us about the kinds of machines that would need to be built in order to achieve artificial intelligence (AI)?

In this talk I briefly summarize the current state-of-the-art in AI - especially the fantastic progress that has been made especially in artificial perception. I then turn to the next challenge: interactive learning, and examine the progress that has been made so far. Finally, you will learn why current video games, like the popular video game Minecraft, may be key to solving the next big challenge in AI.

Speaker bio: Katja Hofmann is the lead researcher at Project Malmo in the Machine Intelligence and Pereption group at Microsoft Research. She obtained her MSc in Computer Science from CSU East bay, and subsequently obtained her PhD at the University of Amsterdam. Now she develops intelligence technology using Minecraft, with the goal to develop AI systems that can collaborate with people.

Come along to the talk to find out more about the exciting world of artificial intelligence and how it relates to Minecraft! We are heading to the pub with Katja after the talk, and the first drink is on CUCaTS! FREE DRINKS ! Hope to see many of you at the talk and pub.