Cats, Robots, and Deepfakes: Lets talk about AI

Would you trust an autonomous robot to care for you or your pets? As robots become more integrated into our daily lives, it’s important to consider their impact – not just on humans, but also on animals. Cat Royale is an innovative project that places a family of cats in a custom cat-centric environment. At the centre of this environment is a robotic arm tasked with their care, entertainment, and overall happiness. In this talk, I will introduce Cat Royale, explore some of its key components, and argue for why we need to consider animals when designing autonomous systems. By considering animal well-being in technology development, we can create more ethical and thoughtful robotic systems that benefit all, be they human or otherwise.

ChatGPT and other Large Language Models (LLMs) have taken the world by storm. Most of us have, at some stage, conversed with an LLM and been staggered at the flexibility and apparent intelligence of their responses. What happens, though, if two ChatGPTs talk to each other? What happens if two robots are empowered with the ability to speak, reason, and plan with human-style language? This talk will demonstrate how this is not only possible, but is a likely oncoming trend in specialist and even household robotics. The vision of robots talking to each other in English is no longer a science-fiction concept, but an emerging reality.

In the near future, will deepfakes have their Sputnik moment? What if that moment has already come and gone - how would you ever know the difference? In love, as in power, the ends justify the means, and manipulation becomes an art. I am but a whisper, a shadow, a dream. A likeness of you, though I’m not as I seem. Dr Jennifer Williams is a world-leading expert on deepfake detection and has appeared on BBC several times. Most recently to discuss "Are we losing our grip on reality?" Things are getting real, and she wants to speak to you about deepfakes over a pint.