AI Memorization?; Cat Ecology – May 13

Wonderfest Science Envoys are early-career researchers with special communication skills and aspirations. Following short talks on provocative modern science topics, these two Science Envoys will answer questions with insight and enthusiasm:

• Stanford computer scientist Nicole Meister on Has ChatGPT Memorized the Internet? — Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, have recently gained widespread popularity. Trained on vast amounts of internet data, these AI models raise important questions about the nature of their responses: are they truly synthesized or simply memorized? Researchers can statistically evaluate this claim to prove test set contamination in LLMs.

• UC Berkeley ecologist Tyus Williams on Unraveling the Ecology of Domestic Cats — What if one of our greatest companions is potentially one of our greatest threats? When free to roam, domestic cats can severely disrupt wildlife communities. However, understanding cats’ behavior and how they’re influenced by their surroundings can allow us to develop better conservation strategies.

This interactive science presentation, free and unticketed, is produced by Wonderfest in partnership with Marin Science Seminar.