Monday Salon: STARLIGHT TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Lecture/Discussion/Panel/Talk/Q&A/Seminar
Science
Technology
Institute of World Culture, Concord Hall
**Events may have been canceled or postponed. Please contact the venue to confirm the event.
Date & Time
Mon, Apr 20 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Address (map)
1407 Chapala St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Venue (website)
Institute of World Culture, Concord Hall
Monday Evening Salon Series:
From Starlight to Artificial Intelligence: How We Learn to Read the Universe
Presenter: Daniel Godinez
Monday, April 20, 2026
7:00 – 8:30 pm
In-person: Concord Hall, 1407 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara, CA
Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/@iwcinsantabarbara/streams
This talk will explore how modern artificial intelligence (AI) systems work through an astronomical lens, including their remarkable capabilities as well as their inherent limitations. By examining how we study the universe, we uncover parallels in how both humans and machines recognize patterns in complex, noisy data to make sense of the world. Drawing on examples from AI and the cosmos, we will discover how scientists use machine learning to analyze faint signals from space, and how these same principles of pattern recognition shape how we interpret information and understand the universe (and one another). In addition, we will explore how these ways of thinking can help guide us through an increasingly complex, technology-driven world.
Daniel Godinez is an astronomer and machine learning expert whose research spans planet formation, gravitational microlensing, and the discovery of rare, energetic phenomena such as active black holes. Beyond the stars, he is interested in how patterns of reasoning, whether in humans or machines, shape the ways we understand the world and connect with one another.
For more information: http://www.worldculture.org
