The stars have always influenced our perception of the world as human beings, whether we observe them for scientific or technical purposes (for instance in navigation), or contemplate them with poetic intentions, seeking in their shimmering light a sublime emotion capable of reconnecting us with our inner selves. Artificial intelligence, on the other hand, is a topic that seems miles away from this kind of speculation. Yet this is not so.
We talked about this with Professor Roberto Trotta, who heads the new Theoretical and Scientific Data Science group at the International School of Advanced Studies in Trieste, where he teaches courses in machine learning, journalism, artificial intelligence and science communication. Professor Trotta recently visited our College to speak to our students during a Orizzonti (Horizons) conference, which brings external experts to Adriatic to give a short lecture, followed by questions and discussion with students and staff.
Trotta described the rise of artificial intelligence and the questions it raises, ranging from the ability of humans to predict and control the results it generates, to questioning the meaning we attribute to the very concept behind the term ‘human being’. He also shared with us some insights contained in his latest book Starborn: How the Stars Made Us – and Who We Would Be Without Them, relating the topic of artificial intelligence to the transformative force that stars exert on us. “To lose our connection with the starry sky is to distance ourselves from the knowledge that we are part of a cosmic environment, and at the same time forget how small and humble we are in comparison to it all”.
The meeting ended with a throught provoking question-and-answer session with our students, who were particularly impressed by his speech. A Slovakian student commented: ‘Although I have been passionate about astronomy for a long time, I had never understood the importance of the stars for mankind. Professor Trotta’s talk opened up new horizons for me. The next time I look through a telescope or admire the night sky, I will bring with me this new perspective that Professor Trotta’s ideas have given me”.
