What’s Next in AI – Fluid Intelligence

The Negev Hi-Tech Faculty Startup Accelerator (NHSA ) and the Frenkel Center at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev are proud to announce a lecture in its "Distinguished Guest Lecturer Series" with Dr. Aya Soffer, the Vice President of AI Technologies and the Director of the IBM Research Lab in Haifa.

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Wednesday, July 6, 2022 14:00-15:00

Title: What’s Next in AI – Fluid Intelligence

Abstract: Today’s AI is narrow. While many AI models deliver value in specific, well-defined situations, applying those same models to new challenges requires an immense amount of new data and training. Enterprises need AI that is fluid and adaptable, capable of applying knowledge acquired for one purpose to new domains and challenges. They need AI that can combine different forms of knowledge, unpack causal relationships, and learn new things on its own. In short, enterprises need AI with fluid intelligence. In this talk I will discuss some of the shortcomings in today’s AI and discuss some directions we are pursuing in IBM Research in the areas of Natural Language Understanding, Trusted and AI and more.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Aya Soffer is Vice President of AI Technologies and the Director of the IBM Research Lab in Haifa. IBM Research – Haifa employs researchers in several strategic areas, including artificial intelligence, hybrid cloud, security, blockchain, the future of health, and quantum. As director of the lab, Aya works with the local teams to set and purpose the Research strategy in these areas and also focuses on the technical vitality of the lab. She is also responsible for the lab’s position in the Israeli hi-tech ecosystem, which includes academic and research institutes, multinational corporations with operations in Israel, and Israeli corporations with a global presence, as well as with VC-backed startups. The lab enjoys wide collaboration with academic and industry organizations outside Israel, in particular, in Europe. As the Vice President of AI Technologies, Aya focuses on natural language understanding and conversational systems and their application in customer care and other enterprise applications. In this role, she is responsible for setting the strategy and working with IBM scientists around the world to shape their ideas into new AI technology, and with IBM’s product groups and customers to drive Research innovation into the market. In her  22 years at IBM, Dr. Soffer has led several strategic initiatives that grew into successful IBM products and solutions in the Big Data and AI space including the original Watson system and more recently Project Debater. She has authored over 50 peer-reviewed papers, filed over 15 patents, and served as an invited speaker in many conferences. Dr. Soffer received her MS and PhD degrees in computer science from the University of Maryland at College Park in 1992 and 1995, respectively. Before joining IBM in 1999, she was a research scientist at Goddard space flight centre, where she worked on digital libraries for earth science data.

Location/Link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84110111672?pwd=x0DzvEaxl89uE5SboW_XIMd-i7p38g.1
Meeting ID: 841 1011 1672
Passcode: 138147