Professor Michael Wooldridge, Director of Foundational AI Research at The Alan Turing Institute, will present the 2023 Christmas Lectures from the Royal Institution, the science engagement charity has announced today.
Throughout the lecture series, entitled ‘The Truth About AI’, Professor Wooldridge will tackle the big questions in AI research and unravel the myths about how this technology really works.
He will show how computer programmes inspired by the human brain can be taught – and even teach themselves – and tell the surprising story of how tools like the latest chatbots work.
Professor Wooldridge will discuss the ethical and societal questions that AI raises, including whether AI could be a risk to humanity and whether the technology could ever truly be like us.
Professor Wooldridge said: “The Christmas Lectures are one of the most loved and cherished parts of British science culture. To become a part of that heritage is an incredible honour. I’m very much looking forward to communicating my fascination with AI to the next generation.”
Director of the Royal Institution, Katherine Mathieson, said: “At the Ri we believe that science transforms lives and underpins the modern world, and nowhere is that clearer at the moment than in the rapid development of AI technology. So I’m delighted that our Christmas Lectures this year are bringing a leader in the field of AI research together with millions of people, to explore the science together.”
Tom Coveney, BBC Commissioning Head of Science, said: “I’m thrilled that Mike’s bringing his unrivalled expertise to this year’s Lectures, to help us all understand what could be the biggest technological transformation of our lives.”
With 3 million views a year on BBC Four and iPlayer, and 60,000 students participating in additional activities, the Christmas Lectures continue to be the world’s leading science lectures for young people. The series will be broadcast in late December.
Professor Wooldridge is a professor at The Alan Turing Institute and the University of Oxford. He has worked in AI for more than 30 years and has won multiple national and international awards for his research and teaching. He has written more than nine books including the Ladybird Expert Book on AI.
Read the full story from the Royal Institution.
Image credit: Paul Wilkinson Photography
