Language Processing in Minds and Machines

Join us for a rich evening of linguistics with scientist Dr. Brian Dillon, Ph.D talking about artificial intelligence and human language. In the 21st century, particularly in a multicultural society such as Canada, an understanding of language is critical to all aspects of our cultural, social and political interactions. Linguistic models and theories underlie many of the technologies we rely on, including speech recognition, chatbots, and generative artificial intelligence. Now more than ever, it is essential for the public to understand how language and linguistics contribute to a well-functioning society. Linguistics is a diverse field of study with a wide spectrum of research underpinning many disciplines and professional fields. Applied fields like Speech-Language Pathology and Natural Language Processing rely on theoretical and experimental linguistics. In this event, Dr. Brian Dillon, Ph.D. will discuss the current debates about the fundamental nature of human language, the role that artificial intelligence has to play in understanding this aspect of ourselves, and the role that linguistic science has to play in understanding what makes us human. The talk will be preceded and followed by a light reception and an exhibition showcasing research currently being conducted by UCalgary linguistics students. During the reception/exhibition, audience members will have an opportunity to talk to the students about the research they do and participate in research demos. Note that registration for the event is free but required and it will close when we reach capacity.