International Engineering Ambassadors
Insight into the life & course of international students.

Tuesday 7 February 2017

The Sheffield Artificial Intelligence Society - by Lucas Wai Lau

The creation of 'smart' machines is the epitome of modern technological developments.  Though a century ago the concept of devices capable of possessing self-governing intelligence existed only in the realm of science-fiction, it is indubitable that the widespread application of such 'intelligent' machines in our times have now dominated the operation of modern human civilization.

It was only in the 1950s when a proposal of testing the possibility of artificial intelligence was conceived, the Turing test or the ‘Imitation game’ laid the foundation of an exciting field of research that many tech pioneers, including Google and Facebook are currently pursuing.

Though seeming like an unrealistic pursuit for undergraduates, students from the University of Sheffield will now have the opportunity to delve into that innovative field, a recent interview with the president of the ‘Sheffield Artificial Intelligence Society’ Teddy Edmond Benkohen revealed. The society, founded in early 2016 is now ready to open its doors to AI enthusiasts clawing to delve into this innovative field.

“Many people, when they hear the word ‘artificial intelligence’, will instinctively relate it to robotics. That’s simply not true! Our society strives to broaden the scope of artificial intelligence beyond mere robotics. We do this by offering as wide of a range of activities as possible and allow our members to explore their passion through the projects,” Teddy pointed out.

Many activities are in store for all members of the AI society, including eye-opening talks hosted by the society and industrial speakers about the various aspects of artificial intelligence.

Craving for some hands on experience? Teddy reveals that a course has been prepared for its members on the operation of cutting-edge NAO robots, and at the end will see members being capable of programming them for a fully autonomous NAO robot football match.

‘Of course, we’re also looking forward to having more social events for our members.’, he said after sharing his experience on the society’s recent Star Wars: Rogue One screening social.

When asked about the vision of his artificial intelligence society, he explained

“Being student-led is what makes our society special, and being so we’re more keen on nurturing our members and allowing them to explore their creativity through our projects. In the future, we hope to expand and allow students to handle their own projects and secure opportunities to provide research experience to all our members.”

The doors will be wide open for new members beginning on the 6th of February. As AI enthusiasts take the step into this innovative new realm of technology, we shall keep our eyes on their contribution in making the ‘singularity’ a possible reality.


For more details, contact Teddy Edmond Benkohen for more details on the Sheffield Artificial Intelligence Society at tebenkohen1@sheffield.ac.uk.

No comments:

Post a Comment