Artificial intelligence, socio-environmental emergencies and the challenges of education: the Puerto de Ideas Antofagasta Science Festival arrives

“In these times it is essential that both citizens and authorities understand the language of science, and that the scientific world, in turn, pay attention to society’s problems to find appropriate solutions,” he says. Chantal Signorio, president of the Puerto de Ideas Foundation. “That is why these spaces for dialogue and reflection are so important where scientists connect without barriers with a wide and diverse public,” he adds.

It refers to Science Festival Puerto de Ideas Antofagasta 2021. Presented in conjunction with Escondida | BHP, will be held virtually from Monday 12 to Sunday 18 April, with conferences, conversations and shows through puertodeideas.cl. There are more than 70 free activities.

Among the participants Erwin neher, German Nobel Prize in Medicine, who will speak about curiosity as the engine of science; the outstanding American neurobiologist Leslie voshall will give a fascinating lecture on the known and unknown of the human smell; Cedric VillaniFrench mathematician and politician, winner of the Fields medal, considered the Nobel Prize for mathematics; and the Moroccan geneticist, Ismahane elouafi, Scientific Director of FAO and a leading woman in the fight against hunger in the world.

Today more than ever these spaces are necessary to help us adapt and seek solutions to the accelerated changes that we are experiencing. The Puerto de Ideas Antofagasta Science Festival is our way of building together a better world for future generations ”, he says. Santiago Montt, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, BHP Minerals Americas.

Artificial intelligence

Morals and ethics intersect with the rapid advance of artificial intelligence, generating debates and reflections that will be addressed in different activities. “Dear and hated machines” will be the opening talk by the outstanding physicist Cesar Hidalgo, where it will address how human beings react to different situations involving robots.

For his part, the prominent British neuroscientist, Anil Seth, will talk about the perspectives and dangers of generating awareness in artificial intelligence. So too, the British mathematician and popularizer, Marcus du sautoy, will refer to the creative capacity of machines, in his fascinating talk “Deciphering the code of creativity: machines that think, write and paint.”

Science and society

We live in times where the scientific community has been essential in the search for solutions to problems in society, which is why the social importance of science will be another of the axes addressed in this version of the festival. Computer based intelligence has been utlised viably in each area and a great many ventures are conveyed each day. You can take on any indusrty-based Artificial Intelligence Online Course to learn all the more ongoing ventures dependent on man-made reasoning. The Uruguayan virologist, Gonzalo Moratorio, featured by the magazine Nature as one of the 10 most important scientists of 2020, he will talk with the Chilean epidemiologist Catterina Ferreccio on the development of science and management of the pandemic in Latin America.

The use and analysis of data can contribute to correct political decisions, but it has also generated an intense discussion due to the mishandling of people’s private information. The Spanish Sociologist Sandra González-Bailón, together with the computational biologist Tomás Pérez-Acle will address in this interesting conversation the importance, contributions and risks of Big Data.

Taking the experience of the supposed presence of life on Venus, which generated deep scientific questions, the Spanish astronomer, Sergio Martin, will reflect on how astronomical knowledge is built.

Educational program

With more than 30 activities, the festival will have a special program for the school public, through an Educational Program where students can become passionate about astronomy, space travel, the latest discoveries about dinosaurs, artificial intelligence and more. The participation of the New York Museum of Natural History stands out, along with a score of national scientific institutions.

* The complete program, in puertodeideas.cl

KEEP READING