Online - Quantum Computing for the Curious, Spooky Computer Companions, Pub Quiz

Grab a drink and join us for the Spooktober AI ZA meet up. We have an exciting lineup of talks, including spooky companions and quantum computing, plus a fun pub quiz with prizes!

📹 Zoom link: https://entelect.zoom.us/j/5342917821

🗓 Agenda ‣ Welcome and News ‣ Our Spooky Computer Companions ‣ Quantum Computing for the Curious ‣ AI Pub Quiz with Prizes!

🎃 Our Spooky Computer Companions by Rishal Hurbans Computers have become attached to almost everything we do, especially in 2020! Let's explore how this relationship with machines changes how we think and live, and what the future might look like.

🤔 Quantum Computing for the Curious by Amira Abbas Quantum computers are often wrongly perceived as supercomputers that will replace our current hardware. The truth is actually quite the opposite where, for now, the power of quantum devices remains limited. In this talk, we will briefly discuss how quantum computers work, with a light mathematical formulation to demonstrate why quantum computation is interesting. Then, we will highlight the current state of the industry and close with some interesting research being done in the space of quantum machine learning.

👨‍💻 About Rishal Author of Grokking Artificial Intelligence Algorithms. I've been obsessed with computers, technology, and crazy ideas since childhood. Through my career I have been involved in the leadership of teams and projects, hands-on software engineering, strategic planning, and the end-to-end design of solutions for various international clients. I have also been responsible for actively growing a culture of pragmatism, learning and skills development within my organisations, community, and industry. I have a passion for business mechanics and strategy, growing people and teams, design thinking, artificial intelligence, and philosophy. I have founded various digital products to help people and businesses be more productive and focus on what’s important. I also speak at conferences around the globe to make complex concepts more accessible and help people elevate themselves.

👩🏽‍💻 About Amira Abbas I am extremely passionate about science and technology, specifically theoretical physics and artificial intelligence. I was fortunate enough to find a formal programme that encompassed both these fields at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and completed a master's degree in quantum machine learning under Francesco Petruccione and Maria Schuld. My current PhD research focuses on the intersection of quantum mechanics and machine learning theory to build “quantum enhanced” algorithms. I am a recipient of Google’s PhD fellowship and a previous intern at IBM Quantum in Zürich. I have received scholarships from the National Institute for Theoretical Physics (NITheP) and the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust for my PhD in quantum computing. Additionally, I worked in the investment industry where I completed all CFA examinations and won the CFA Institute Women’s Scholarship award. In my spare time, I read comic books (mostly Star Wars), watch anime and am an avid gamer!

ℹ️ Info We've expanded the topic range of the meetup to include anything "future tech" such as IoT, VR/AR, Game development, Cloud, etc. We're also trying to include a lightning talk at each event exclusively for new presenters to help encourage more people to share their work and gain experience speaking and interacting with the community. So get in touch to speak!