Artificial intelligence is transforming the world—but how did we get here, and where are we going next?
Together, the College of Science Departments of Mathematics and Statistics, the College of Engineering Computer Science program and the Oregon State Center for Quantitative Life Sciences present the 2025 Milne Lecture.
Join us to hear Rachel Ward, an applied mathematician known for her work on machine learning, optimization and signal processing from the University of Texas at Austin and Microsoft Research, share a talk titled,
“From bits to bots: a mathematical perspective on generative AI.”
Data science and machine learning have undergone profound transformations in recent years, driven by the exponential growth of computational power and available data. In this talk, Ward will discuss the evolution from signal processing over half a century ago to the rise of machine learning and generative AI, highlighting mathematical foundations such as information theory, probability, linear algebra, and optimization. While modern AI research is becoming more empirical in recent years, we finish by highlighting open questions and directions where mathematicians and scientists are crucial for making foundational advancements.
