University News Last updated 24 September 2018
The Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment has recently played host to Birmingham’s first ever Kainos AI Camp. The camp was held at Millennium Point and ran for two weeks with activities ranging from building chatbots to guest speaker talks to a grand finale Hackathon. Kainos are a leading expert in the practical application of AI and Machine Learning and the Faculty was keen to work with such a pioneering company.
As AI becomes more sophisticated and plays a greater role in our lives, our Faculty aims to be at the forefront of such change. By hosting events like AI camps, we provide our students with the opportunity to develop links with industry and gain further expert knowledge. Senior Lecturer in Software Engineering, Dr Daniel Doolan, hosted the event within the School of Computing had this to say:
One of the guest speakers at the camp was digital tech entrepreneur Kari Lawler, who delivered a talk on the media perception of AI. She highlighted how there tends to be a negative portrayal of AI which is impacting how the general public react to this revolutionary technology. As a Faculty, we wanted to host Kainos AI Camp to help portray the positive outcomes of AI technology.
The camp also hosted a Hackathon which is a sprint-like event, where students work collaboratively on software projects. The hackathon took place in the heart of Birmingham city centre at Kainos’ offices, Alpha Tower. The winners of the Hackathon had the idea of creating an app that would convert handwritten maths equations into LaTeX, thus digitising research papers. Demonstrating how AI technology can be an effective tool for good.
The Faculty will be hosting more Hackathons and other Computing events in the future, offering students the chance to improve their skills and network with their peers and industry professionals. From 3 - 4 of November, the Faculty will be hosting HackTheMidlands, a 24-hour Hackathon in Millennium Point which is open to students and members of the public. Another great occasion for students to test their computing abilities and hack for a safer world.
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For further information about future AI Camps please contact Dr Daniel Doolan and register your interest.