From Chatbots to Life-Saving Medicine
5:00pm - 6:00pm /
Wednesday 22nd October 2025
/ Venue: Lecture Theatre C (first floor) Liverpool L69 7ZD Central Teaching Hub
- Michael Jones
- Admission: Free
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From Chatbots to Life-Saving Medicine: How a 120-year-old Statistical Process Paved the Way for the Artificial Intelligence Revolution
This lecture is face-to-face on the University of Liverpool's campus, in Lecture Theatre C of the Central Teaching Hub. This is building 221 in square F6 of https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/files/docs/maps/liverpool-university-campus-map.pdf. Please note that Eventbrite's map is showing the wrong location.
It is suitable for anyone aged 16 or over with an interest in mathematics. Please book one ticket for each person attending. There will not be a live stream or a recording.
Have you ever wondered how AI can write an entire essay in a flash? Or produce programming code instantly? Or complete complex analysis of large datasets? The story starts with a simple, centuries-old idea - the Markov chain. We’ll see how this mathematical model has evolved through time, why it constantly pops up in the history of AI development, and how it links to the development of life-saving drugs.
About the speaker
Dr Sam Ball is a cross-disciplinary researcher with a background in mathematics, artificial intelligence, and the health sciences, linking teaching, research and industry to further health outcomes across a range of fields. He is currently focused on developing deep learning AI solutions acros medical imaging domains, particularly in the field of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) imaging.
Beyond his research, he is a keen communicator for science and coding, co-founding HiPy, a grassroots initiative for creating a supportive programming network for Python within the local community. This initiative has seen over 10,000 students and staff become empowered to learn how to program, along with collaborations with the Royal Statistical Society and data groups internationally.
This lecture is face-to-face on the University of Liverpool's campus, in Lecture Theatre C of the Central Teaching Hub. This is building 221 in square F6 of https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/files/docs/maps/liverpool-university-campus-map.pdf. Please note that Eventbrite's map is showing the wrong location.
It is suitable for anyone aged 16 or over with an interest in mathematics. Please book one ticket for each person attending. There will not be a live stream or a recording.
Have you ever wondered how AI can write an entire essay in a flash? Or produce programming code instantly? Or complete complex analysis of large datasets? The story starts with a simple, centuries-old idea - the Markov chain. We’ll see how this mathematical model has evolved through time, why it constantly pops up in the history of AI development, and how it links to the development of life-saving drugs.
About the speaker
Dr Sam Ball is a cross-disciplinary researcher with a background in mathematics, artificial intelligence, and the health sciences, linking teaching, research and industry to further health outcomes across a range of fields. He is currently focused on developing deep learning AI solutions acros medical imaging domains, particularly in the field of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) imaging.
Beyond his research, he is a keen communicator for science and coding, co-founding HiPy, a grassroots initiative for creating a supportive programming network for Python within the local community. This initiative has seen over 10,000 students and staff become empowered to learn how to program, along with collaborations with the Royal Statistical Society and data groups internationally.