Welcome to UofT AI's Neural Notes 🤖

Hey there!

If you're reading this, it means you've taken the first step to join us on a thrilling journey. So thank you for subscribing to our mailing list. Oops, we almost forgot to introduce ourselves, we are the new co-presidents of Uoft AI: Jai and Alexis. We’re both 4th year students @UofT, studying Computational Cognition and Math respectively. But I promise you we’re much more than your average students.

What does @UofT AI even do?

With both of us being in charge of UofT AI, our main goal is simple: we want to talk about AI in a way that everyone can understand. We're here to unpack the big stuff, put it in plain words, and have some fun along the way (yeah we mean this, we just had a pumpkin carving event). Whether AI is your bread and butter or just a fun topic you're curious about, we've got something in store for you.

Here are a few key initiatives we’re pushing out this academic year:

• LearnAI: An Introductory ML Educational Program, that offers a different approach from the standard undergraduate curriculum - through a carefully balanced combination of theory and practice, we equip our students with the knowledge and problem-solving skills necessary in the modern workforce.

• ProjectX: Our Undergraduate AI Research Competition: We’ve designed this initiative to focus this power on tackling important issues. ProjectX is a five-month-long machine learning research competition hosted by the University of Toronto involving undergraduate students from all across North America. With 20+ universities participating and multiple big-name industry partners, this is our biggest project yet.

• The UofTAI Conference: The UofT AI conference will be a two-day event taking place in early 2024. We're leaning into a new format that's more engaging this year, and we can't wait to tell you more about it. The goal of this initiative is to inspire the next generation of leaders in this field and to kick-start the conversation about using machine learning as a force for good.

Your Burst of AI News:

Google's newly released Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones have ignited a debate over AI manipulation in photography. These devices offer features that use AI to alter facial expressions in photos, such as selecting a smiling version from past shots to replace a non-smiling face. Another feature, Magic Editor, uses deep learning to erase, move, or resize objects in photos, filling in the resulting space with AI-predicted content. Critics argue that these features blur the lines of photographic reality, describing the technology as "creepy" and potentially undermining trust in online content. Google defends the tools, emphasizing their potential to craft "representations of moments" and cater to users' desires for visually pleasing, rather than strictly realistic, images.

But what do you think?

We're committed to making this space enlightening, engaging, and entertaining. Make sure to keep an eye on your inbox for our regular updates.

If you ever want to reach out, share ideas, or simply chat about the wonders of AI, you can always find us on the UofT AI website, or drop us a follow on our instagram @uoft.ai

Cheers to the future, the mysteries of AI, and to you, our wonderful community!

Your Presidents,

Jai & Alexis