Math Encounters

Upcoming presentation

“Under the Hood: The Mathematics of AI”

Featuring Rebecca Willett

Wednesday, June 4
Presentations at 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm

(in person)

Investing in applied artificial intelligence (AI) without understanding the underlying mathematical foundations is like investing in biotech without understanding biology.  Join University of Chicago Professor of Statistics and Computer Science Rebecca Willett and learn how mathematics is having a tremendous impact on AI and machine learning.  In this engaging, hands-on presentation, Dr. Willett will highlight the core mathematical ideas underlying AI and their impacts on applications, including an exploration of the basics of learning, how Netflix decides what movie to recommend next, how ChatGPT writes stories, how AI helps predict weather more accurately, and how math and statistics help protect fairness and privacy in AI systems. 

Rebecca Willett is the Worah Family Professor of Statistics and Computer Science at the University of Chicago and Director of AI in the Data Science Institute.  Her research focuses on machine learning, scientific computing, and signal processing.  She has received numerous honors, including the Data Science Career Prize from SIAM in 2024 and election as a Fellow of SIAM (2021) and IEEE (2022).  Willett has held leadership roles in several NSF-Simons Foundation initiatives and directs research projects on AI in science. 

Math Encounters is MoMath’s popular free public presentation series celebrating the spectacular world of mathematics.  This program is funded by Simons Foundation International and administered by the Simons Foundation’s Science, Society & Culture division.  For further information, call the National Museum of Mathematics at 212-542-0566 or email mathencounters@momath.org.

sponsor logos for Simons Foundation International and Simon's Foundation

Register to attend

 

Photography notice

By registering for a Math Encounters presentation, you acknowledge that you may be photographed or videotaped by Museum staff and associates and agree to abide by the MoMath General Policies for Events and Photograph Release.

Books by the speakers

We are happy to offer books edited or authored by Math Encounters speakers through our online shop.

Math Encounters available on YouTube and DVD

Math Encounters presentations are generally posted to our YouTube page within one to two months of filming.  Due to copyright issues, some presentations may not be reproduced on the internet.  Presentations posted online are also available for purchase via our online shop.  Click here to purchase yours today!

Math Encounters is MoMath’s popular free public presentation series celebrating the spectacular world of mathematics.  This program is funded by Simons Foundation International and administered by the Simons Foundation’s Science, Society & Culture division.

sponsor logos for Simons Foundation International and Simon's Foundation

Please note that all children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.