The Future is Digital

AI is on the rise everywhere. But how far will it go in science? AI and machine learning certainly aren’t new tools; they are already being used across science from protein folding prediction to modelling of crack propagation during fracture. However, with the rise of powerful code-writing natural language models like ChatGPT, one has to ask, how far away are we from AI not just being the hammer used to hit the nail, but also the person wielding it? In this talk, we will explore whether modern AI truly has the capability to discover, and will question what it really means to be a scientist.

We're all familiar with the work archives do to preserve records of events, decisions and laws. If we've ever tried to search our family history, we are grateful for the nameless archivists who have made that possible. But what about now everything is going digital? How has the act and risks in preservation changed? We will show how the risks to these precious archive materials has been reduced using - of all things - statistics!

Metaverse is the hot topic! But, what will be its reality once all of the heat has dissipated? Cosmologists have spoken of many universes - a multiverse. To this end, the Metaverse will comprise a multitude of realities. Whilst the Metaverse will provide untold opportunities, it is innovation on an unprecedented scale that will change our entire relationship with what it means to be human. Immortality, almost endless exploration of the universe, and collective consciousness are up for grabs as we move from a carbon-based life-form to that of a silicon-based civilisation.