Minds and Machines: A Dialogue Between Cognitive Science and AI
On proposal of one of the Belgian universities, the Francqui Foundation awards several academic chairs each year.
A chair offers the possibility to invite a professor from another institution for a series of lectures of the highest level in his or her research area. The current chair is an acknowledgement for Prof. Dr. Marco Zorzi research in the field of cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence.
Praktische info:
Leertrajecten
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About the Chair Holder
Marco Zorzi is a Professor of Cognitive Psychology and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Padova (Italy). His work is at the intersection of cognitive science, computer science and neuroscience, with a primary focus on the computational bases of human cognition. He received doctoral and postdoctoral training in Trieste, London (UCL), and Padova, and had previous faculty positions in Milan and Padova. Currently, he serves as the Deputy Director of the Padova Neuroscience Center at the University of Padova and as a Senior Researcher at San Camillo Research Hospital in Venice, with a focus on AI applied to neuroimaging and neurorehabilitation. He is a past recipient of a prestigious grant from the European Research Council (ERC) and an elected Fellow of the Cognitive Science Society.
Minds and Machines: A Dialogue Between Cognitive Science and AI
Inaugural lecture of the Kulak Francqui Chair 2024 by Prof. Dr. Marco Zorzi
Deep learning in artificial neural networks is the driving force behind the contemporary revolution brought by AI technologies. Deep neural networks show impressive performance in a wide range of domains, from image processing to natural language understanding. What insights can we derive from these “artificial brains” about the human mind and brain? Conversely, can we use behavioural and neuroscientific methods to test and challenge these AI systems?
In this talk, Professor Marco Zorzi will discuss interdisciplinary research that emphasizes a constant dialogue between cognitive (neuro)science and AI. Contrasting humans and machines in terms of learning and performance, including failures, is the key to deepen our understanding of human cognition and to highlight necessary improvements in AI technologies.
Programme
18.30 | Welcome
19:00 | Opening of the ceremony
Welcome by Professor Piet Desmet, vice rector KU Leuven Kulak
Introduction by Professor Bert Reynvoet, promotor, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences KU Leuven Kulak
19:15 | Inaugural lecture by Professor Marco Zorzi, Minds and Machines: A Dialogue Between Cognitive Science and AI
20:25 | Closing remarks by Professor Fien Depaepe, Dean of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences KU Leuven Kulak
20:30 | Reception
Series of public lectures
The inaugural lecture will be preceded and followed by a series of lectures at KU Leuven Kulak and Leuven by Prof. Marco Zorzi.
All lectures are free, but registration is required.
Computational modelling of cognition: methods and challenges
Campus Kulak Kortrijk
The lecture will cover basic methodological issues in computational modeling of cognition. Starting from a taxonomy of cognitive models and the aims of computational modeling, the discussion will focus on evaluation criteria and their application to connectionist (neural network) models.
- Wednesday 6 March 2024, 15:30-17:00
- KU Leuven Kulak, B511, Etienne Sabbelaan 53, 8500 Kortrijk or livestream
Numbers in the brain: From neurons to behavior through computational modeling
Campus Kulak Kortrijk
This lecture will take numerosity perception as a case study to show how computational modeling informs our theoretical understanding and can bridge the gap between psychophysical, neuroimaging and neurophysiological evidence regarding how numerical information is processed and represented.
- Thursday 7 March 2024, 10.00-11:30
- KU Leuven Kulak, B511, Etienne Sabbelaan 53, 8500 Kortrijk or livestream
A primer on Large Language Models (ChatGPT etc.)
Leuven
This lecture will introduce natural language processing based on artificial neural networks, with a focus on Large Language Models (like chatGPT) and on the recent debate regarding their “understanding” and “reasoning” capabilities.
- Tuesday 30 April 2024, 09:00-11:00
- Lecture hall, 00.15 Kleine Aula, Augustinusvleugel (109-03)
Sint-Michielsstraat 6 , 3000 Leuven or via livestream
From pixels to numbers: Numerosity perception in humans and machines
Leuven
How is visual numerosity computed from images? How is numerical information encoded and how it relates to non-numerical visual magnitudes? Why does numerosity discrimination improve during development but it lags behind in dyscalculia? This talk will address these issues using computational simulations with deep neural networks and the systematic comparison with human data from adults, children and developmental dyscalculics.
- Tuesday 30 April 2024, 14:00-15:00
- 01.07 Psychologisch Instituut, Tiensestraat 102, 3000 Leuven or via livestream