We cordially invite you to LogicLounge 2024, hosted by the Vienna Center for Logic and Algorithms (VCLA)!

Together with Georg Gottlob, this year’s LogicLounge will explore Artificial Intelligence’s current state and challenges and provide insights into the two main branches of AI research: symbolic AI, which predominantly focuses on knowledge representation and logical reasoning (KRR), and sub-symbolic AI, which primarily centers on Machine Learning (ML). We’ll dive into achievements and limitations of these approaches, and take a look at advancements (and possible pitfalls) in generative AI, such as ChatGPT.

You’re interested in Logic, Philosophy, Mathematics, Informatics, and AI? Then join LogicLounge on Tuesday, May 28th 2024 starting at 4 pm at Café Museum. Admission is free, no registration or expertise is required.

Abstract

This LogicLounge delves into the division between the two primary branches of AI research: symbolic AI, which predominantly focuses on knowledge representation and logical reasoning, and sub-symbolic AI, primarily centered on ML employing neural networks. We explore both the notable accomplishments and challenges encountered in each of these approaches and provide instances where traditional deep learning encounters limitations. We elucidate significant obstacles in achieving automated symbolic reasoning. We discuss the recent groundbreaking advancements in generative AI, driven by language models such as ChatGPT showcasing instances where these models excel and, conversely, where they exhibit shortcomings and produce erroneous information. We identify and illustrate five key reasons for potential failures in language models, which include: information loss due to data compression, training bias, the incorporation of incorrect external data, the misordering of results, and the failure to detect and resolve logical inconsistencies contained in a sequence of prompt-answers generated by large language models. We will also touch upon the Chat2Data project, which endeavors to leverage language models for the automated verification and enhancement of relational databases, all while mitigating potential pitfalls.

About Georg Gottlob

Georg Gottlob earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from TU Wien in 1981. Following academic appointments in Milan, Genoa, and Stanford, he was named a full professor of Informatics at TU Wien in 1988. In 2006, he accepted a position at Oxford University while maintaining strong ties to TU Wien as an Adjunct Professor in Logic and Computation and Information System Engineering. Between 2006 and 2011, he served as the Chair of Computing Science at Oxford University and subsequently assumed the Chair of Informatics in January 2012. Currently, he is a Professorial Fellow at St John’s College, Oxford, and holds a chaired professorship at the University of Calabria in Italy.

An esteemed scholar, Georg has contributed over 250 scientific articles to computational logic, database theory, and artificial intelligence and authored a textbook on logic programming and databases. His work has earned him numerous accolades, including the Wittgenstein Award from the FWF, the ERC Advanced Investigators Grant, and the Ada Lovelace Medal from the British Computer Society. He is recognized as an ACM Fellow, an ECCAI Fellow, a Fellow of the Royal Society, and a member of the Austrian, German, and European Academies of Sciences. In addition to his research contributions, Georg is actively involved in various advisory boards and serves on the editorial boards of several leading journals, including JCSS and CACM, demonstrating his commitment to advancing excellence in research.

About Logic Lounge

The series of public lectures LogicLounge continues to bring together the general public and experts from the fields of logic, philosophy, mathematics, computer science, and artificial intelligence. Since its inception at the Vienna Summer of Logic in 2014 – the largest event in the history of logic – the series has since been traveling between Vienna and the venue of the CAV (International Conference on Computer-Aided Verification), where it has already become a regular event in honor of Helmut Veith (1971-2016).

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