Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Intelligence is found in human brains and other living systems, in computer programs and other machines. Over dinner and drinks, KITP Postdoctoral Scholar Fatih Dinç will explore how different systems like these store, process, and use information—in other words, how do they perform computations? How do groups of brain cells work together to represent information, and how does this differ from the way regular computers handle data? Why are machine learning systems, like those behind chatbots, so difficult to train for broad use and complex tasks? Together, these examples show how understanding computation in the natural world can help us design better and more sustainable forms of AI.
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Café KITP is an evening event held at SOhO Restaurant (1221 State Street) every two months or so. It is a "physics café" which starts with a presentation by a speaker (a physicist) and is followed by questions and provocations facilitated by an interlocutor who inspires the audience to engage with the subject and the speaker. Food and drink are available and there is no cover charge.
Our motto: "Eat, THINK, and be merry!"
See upcoming and past events: https://www.kitp.ucsb.edu/outreach/cafe-kitp
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Learn more at: https://www.kitp.ucsb.edu
Connect with KITP everywhere:
𝕏 https://x.com/@kitp_ucsb
🦋 https://kitp-ucsb.bsky.social
▶ youtube.com/@KITP_UCSB
💻 linkedin.com/company/kavli-institute-for-theoretical-physics
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The position of the KITP is that ownership and copyright of all online material -- slides, text, audio, video, and podcasts -- belongs to the author. KITP is providing dissemination for these materials but does not claim ownership. Any person citing these materials for scholarly purposes should provide an appropriate scholarly reference.
Intelligence is found in human brains and other living systems, in computer programs and other machines. Over dinner and drinks, KITP Postdoctoral Scholar Fatih Dinç will explore how different systems like these store, process, and use information—in other words, how do they perform computations? How do groups of brain cells work together to represent information, and how does this differ from the way regular computers handle data? Why are machine learning systems, like those behind chatbots, so difficult to train for broad use and complex tasks? Together, these examples show how understanding computation in the natural world can help us design better and more sustainable forms of AI.
__________________________________
Café KITP is an evening event held at SOhO Restaurant (1221 State Street) every two months or so. It is a "physics café" which starts with a presentation by a speaker (a physicist) and is followed by questions and provocations facilitated by an interlocutor who inspires the audience to engage with the subject and the speaker. Food and drink are available and there is no cover charge.
Our motto: "Eat, THINK, and be merry!"
See upcoming and past events: https://www.kitp.ucsb.edu/outreach/cafe-kitp
__________________________________
Learn more at: https://www.kitp.ucsb.edu
Connect with KITP everywhere:
𝕏 https://x.com/@kitp_ucsb
🦋 https://kitp-ucsb.bsky.social
▶ youtube.com/@KITP_UCSB
💻 linkedin.com/company/kavli-institute-for-theoretical-physics
__________________________________
The position of the KITP is that ownership and copyright of all online material -- slides, text, audio, video, and podcasts -- belongs to the author. KITP is providing dissemination for these materials but does not claim ownership. Any person citing these materials for scholarly purposes should provide an appropriate scholarly reference.
