The World of Intelligence, Illuminated by Eight Videos

If you missed TEDxBocconiU 2018 – and there is a chance you did, since the event sold out in a few days when registrations were opened – you can now live that experience by watching the videos of the event, available clicking here.

Co-organized by the University and the TEDxBocconiU student association, the event, entitled Intelligence Illuminated, took place on 4 May and explored the facets of natural and artificial intelligence, with a lineup of speakers including a computational linguist (Dirk Hovy), a social entrepreneur (Rakhi Mehra), a neuroscientist (Paolo Fabene), a fashion photographer (Nancy Fina), an artificial intelligence theorist (Riccardo Zecchina), a venture capitalist (Nader Sabbaghian) and the two Bocconi students who won the TEDxBocconiU Student Speaker Competition (Vanisha Sampat and Alain Bouwman).

Riccardo Zecchina, a professor of machine learning at Bocconi, explained how artificial intelligence really works, presenting the state of the art («artificial intelligence is not about thinking machines, but augmenting our cognitive capabilities») and debunking the myth of machines taking control in the close future.

A radical choice in Vanisha Sampat's teenage years (cutting her long hair in favor of a charity) helped her change perspective and develop understanding of emotional intelligence. In her talk she discusses how a personal experience shaped her idea of emotional intelligence and decision making.

Dirk Hovy, a computational linguist and a professor of computer science at Bocconi, talks of the major hurdle we face in learning machines to understand a use a natural language: the understanding of who's speaking. "Language is always about ourselves. We express who we are in language".

Having lived in 11 different European cities and 7 countries, Alain Bouwman knows a thing or two about identity. The complications this brings when meeting new people led him to rethink the point of national identity in the first place. In his talk, Alain explains why asking someone «Where are you from?» doesn't make sense any more.

Brains exist in all sizes and forms in the animal realm. But does their size actually matter? Is a larger brain more intelligent? Dive into brain matter with Paolo Fabene to explore the concept of measuring intelligence through the size of a brain! Paolo Fabene is a neuroscientist, Associate Professor of Anatomy and Histology at the University of Verona.

Entrepreneurship and innovation; some people seem to think they drive everything. Nevertheless, are all innovations really worth the investment? And is it innovation that adapts to the needs of society, or society that doesn't yet recognize its future needs? Nader Sabbaghian is a venture capitalist and General Partner at 360° Capital Partners.

Passionate about cities and with a deep love for New Delhi, Rakhi Mehra explains how to implement innovative solutions to complex urban challenges, contributing to the creation of inclusive smart cities. Rakhi Mehra is passionate about fostering socially inclusive cities. She is an economics graduate from University of Delhi, Oxford University and Harvard. During her education, her main inspiration became Professor Muhammad Yunus's pioneering work with Grameen Bank in micro finance.

Nancy Fina, a photographer, creates visual stories with a powerful and unmistakable impact. In her talk, she describes how she nurtures a creative thought and translates it into an image to raise empathy of the audience and provide perspectives on topics ranging from women's and children's rights, the impact of humanity on the environment and life in general.