Ning Zhou from Microsoft giving the talk "The family history of ChatGPT and DALL·E - A brief overview of AIGC development" at the Tromsø AI meetup 2023.
Image:
Eirik Agnalt Østmo / UiT

Ning Zhou from Microsoft giving the talk "The family history of ChatGPT and DALL·E - A brief overview of AIGC development" at the Tromsø AI meetup 2023.

Tromsø AI Meetup 2023: A gathering to inspire and connect AI enthusiasts

The Tromsø AI Meetup 2023 brought together AI enthusiasts at Storgata Camping to connect, learn from notable speakers, and explore the exciting developments in AI, fostering a community passionate about responsible innovation in the field.

Tromsø AI Meetup 2023: A gathering to inspire and connect AI enthusiasts

We're thrilled to share the success of the Tromsø AI Meetup 2023, where AI enthusiasts came together to connect, learn, and have a great time.

Organized by Visual Intelligence Graduate School (VIGS), NORA – Norwegian Artificial Intelligence Research Consortium, Tekna Big Data, and Tekna Tromsø avdeling, this event truly celebrated the exciting developments in AI with a focus on generative AI and societal implications.

The meetup took place in Tromsø City centre and gathered around 100 AI enthusiasts at Storgata Camping Sunday evening. The gathering featured two sessions led by speakers Jonas Nordhaug Myhre from NORCE and Ning Zhou from Microsoft who brought their perspectives to the forefront.

Senior Researcher Jonas Nordhaug Myhre from NORCE telling the story of the research project that lead to the startup business Abedera in Tromsø.

After a break for mingling, some food and refreshments three voulenteers from the local AI community in Tromsø presented their lightning talks.

Recent developments in generative AI like diffusion models has enabled effortless fabrication of photorealistic AI generated images. Many such images has gone viral on the internet the last years. Photo: Eirik Agnalt Østmo.

Bjarte Aarmo Lund, a developer at DIPS and a father of two, shared his week-end project of creating an AI princess chatbot for his daughter using ChatGPT and available models. His down-to-earth approach showed just how accessible and fun generative AI can be, inspiring many to explore their own creative potentials.

David Giagnocavo brought a fresh perspective to the stage, unraveling the "alien languages" of AI and AI's alignment with our goals.

Simon Baradziej, a PhD student at UiT, concluded the sessions with a reminder on the ethical considerations in AI. He encouraged everyone to approach AI with a responsible mindset, fostering awareness of the potential implications that come with such powerful tools.

After the three lighting talks, Suaiba and Kristoffer from VIGS organized a fun AI quiz for all participants, challenging everyone to spot the AI in the mix, to conclude the event.

We extend our gratitude to the speakers and collaborators in NORA, Tekna and VI who made this event a success. A special thank to each participant who contributed to making the Tromsø AI Meetup 2023 an event to remember.

Three happy organizers from the VIGS team. From the left: Kristoffer Wickstrøm, Suaiba Salahuddin and Eirik Østmo. Photo: Theodor Ross.

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