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The speaker today Jiayi Li is a PHD student at UCLA studying AI/ML. She started her education at the University of Hong Kong and finished it when she received her bachelor’s in mathematics from Stony Brook University. During a gap year she did volunteer work, outreach, math for underprivileged groups and research at UCLA which is how she ended up at UCLA for her PHD.
Jiayi does active research of machine learning (ML) applications to economic problems. She also teaches at the ENG/MBA program at UCLA and, is co-chairing the Women in Statistics and Data Science society this year (a very big deal).
ML is a type of AI. A lot of it is based on algorithms that involves linear algebra, statistics and algebra. As a researcher, she is using her math background and looking into kinds of AI functions such as neural networks, are these deep-learning models stable and, how do we know these models do not hallucinate, just to name a few items. All Greek to me but, Jiayi explained it well and advised the studies on AI are still in the preliminary stages. She does not believe AI is going to take over physical/creative or, complex decision-making jobs any time soon if at all, and that everyone should keep an opened mind. She does not feel AI should be feared but does wonder how it will all be regulated as more continues to become known about it.
Fascinating presentation made by a truly knowledgeable person in the field. Jiayi’s next stages are to obtain her PHD in 2024, do post doc work in the US or Germany and, start a tenure-track faculty position to continue with teaching, research & services/outreach to the community.
We wish her well and thank her for her wonderful presentation. Oh, and by the way, she is the wife of Rotarian Yang Shen.
Shout out to the Members for reciting the Four-Way Test, Yang Shen for greeting everyone, PP Steve Scherer for leading the pledge, PP Mike Newman for Thought of the Day and, Maestro PP Ed Gault singing “Clementine.”
President Steve let us know it was National Beer Lovers Day & National Salami Day and handed out one of each to contest winners – PP Tom Barron won the salami, at lunch.
Pres Steve finished with a quote from Queen Elizabeth I about some things to look for when trying to find a formula for success.
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