Atari, Alexa and artificial intelligence to be discussed in UM, EMU events this month – MLive.com

WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI -- The University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University are each hosting events this month that will focus on the advancement of artificial intelligence.

The University of Michigan Artificial Intelligence Laboratory has been hosting regular Friday Night AI events since May 2019. This weeks free event is scheduled for March 13 at 7 p.m. Organizers say they look to make the events accessible to the general public, so it is hosted at the Ann Arbor District Library downtown in the multi-purpose room.

The intent of this event is to reach out to the community and have a conversation that goes both ways, said Rada Mihalcea, director of U-M AI Lab. Its for the community to learn more about what researchers in the AI Lab at Michigan are working on, and also for us to learn more about the community and whats on their minds and what are their interests.

Fridays theme will dig into Technologies that Power Todays Chatbots, focusing on Amazon Alexa. The University of Michigan AI Lab will discuss its current Alexa Prize Competition project, in which participants are challenged to develop the chatbot to have a 20-minute conversation.

Presenters include professors Nikola Banovic and David Jurgens, along with graduate student Chung Hoon Hong. Registration is encouraged via the Friday Night AI website.

The Department of Mathematics & Statistics at Eastern Michigan University will be hosting the 2020 Machine Learning Conference on March 28. The conference will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Pray Harrold Building, room 201.

Presenters will discuss two topics: theoretical machine learning and applications, organizers said.

This conference mainly deals with applications because people like to see how artificial intelligence and machine learning can be applied to their real life, said Ovidiu Calin, mathematics and statistics professor.

Graduate students and faculty will join representatives from Ford Motor Company, General Motors, the University of Michigan, Soothsayer Analytics, OML Alpha, LLC and Detroit Autonomous Vehicle Group, who will present during the conference.

Some of the projects to be discussed involve modifications to the 1970s electronic game console Atari, and autonomous vehicle technology.

Registration with a meal is open until March 10, with the option to still register after the meal deadline.

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Atari, Alexa and artificial intelligence to be discussed in UM, EMU events this month - MLive.com