Award-winning author and mathematician prof. Marcus du Sautoy explores the future of creativity and how machine learning will disrupt, enrich, and transform our understanding of what it means to be human.
If the seats at the venue on campus are fully booked, you can watch this program live online via the livestream on Facebook or YouTube (You do not need to book a ticket to view the livestream )*
Will a computer ever compose a symphony, write a prize-winning novel, or paint a masterpiece? And if so, would we be able to tell the difference? As humans, we have an extraordinary ability to create works of art that elevate, expand and transform what it means to be alive. Yet in many other areas, new developments in AI are shaking up the status quo, as we find out how many of the tasks humans engage in can be done equally well, if not better, by machines. But can machines be creative, i.e. come up with something that is new, that is surprising, and that has value? Will they soon be able to learn from the art that moves us, and understand what distinguishes it from the mundane?
In his latest book The Creativity Code, Marcus du Sautoy examines the nature of creativity, as well as providing an essential guide into how algorithms work, and the mathematical rules underpinning them. He asks how much of our emotional response to art is a product of our brains reacting to pattern and structure, and exactly what it is to be creative in mathematics, art, language and music. In an exploration of both AI and the essence of being human, he finds out how long it might be before machines come up with something creative, and whether they might jolt us into being more imaginative ourselves.
Following the online lecture, TU/e researchers dr. Kristina Andersen (Industrial Design) and dr. Jim Portegies (Mathematics and Computer Science) will further illustrate how artists and scientists would like to harvest the creative power of AI. There will also be ample time for questions and discussion with the (online) audience.
Prof. dr. Marcus du Sautoy is the successor of Richard Dawkins as Simonyi professor for the public understanding of science. He is also a professor of mathematics at the University of Oxford. He is widely known for his work to popularize mathematics, appears regularly in the media and has written numerous academic articles and popular books on mathematics. His latest book The Creativity Code was published in 2019. The Dutch edition (De Code van Creativiteit) will appear in September 2020 at Uitgeverij Nieuwezijds.
This event is organized by the TU/e Center for Humans & Technology, Eindhoven Young Academy of Engineering, and EAISI (Eindhoven AI Systems Institute), in cooperation with Studium Generale.
* Via livestream
This program will also be streamed live to our Facebook page and YouTube channel. Follow us on Facebook or subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive a notification when we go live. You do not need to book a ticket to view the livestream.
SG & USE registration
- On campus: please register your participation on the spot when attending the program on campus, by scanning your student card before the start of the program at the venue.
- Online via livestream: Please note: do NOT make a reservation if you want to watch the program online via the livestream. You can only register for SG&USE if you watch the program live (so not watching it at a later time) and if you complete an online SG&USE registration form within five minutes after the end of the program. During the lecture we will explain where and when you can find the link to the registration form. In the program info on the website you will find where you can view the livestream.
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More information about SG & USE can be found here.