AI in my Astro+Visualization Life Today (SkAI Colloquium)

Presentation Date: Friday, April 4, 2025
Location: Chicago, IL

I have been lucky enough in my career so far to watch, and I hope help, computational technology change what we can learn about our Universe.  Today, in 2025, I somewhat unexpectedly find myself involved in a broad range of AI-based and AI-enhanced efforts designed to speed learning and discovery in astrophysics and in science.  In this talk, I will offer glimpses into a handful of ongoing AI-enhanced efforts, each of which is very different from the others, yet which work together in a researcher/educator's life to speed progress.   Work to be highlighted includes:  1) automated data-set linking in the "glue" and LIVE-Environments visualization environments; 2) The "Reading Time Machine” which uses AI to "read" graphics and images and ingest their content into the ADS Literature archive, as "data," 3) approaches to 3D selection in volumetric data, using both AI and augmented reality (AR); 4) a quest to understand why LLMs are so good at describing infographics, but so terrible at creating them; 5) capabilities of AI for writing code for visualization, in both research and education.   The plan of the talk will be to present an overview of each of these efforts, in order to inspire broader discussion of whichever topics evolve as most interesting to the assembled audience.

temporary dropbox link for keynote slides

This presentation was given on Friday, April 4, 2025 in Chicago, IL