Applied AI at Leeds Digital Festival

Join us for another Applied AI and explore the real-world impact of AI, without the jargon.

Applied AI is an evening of thought-provoking talks, live examples, and down-to-earth discussion focused on how AI is being applied today - in teams, in products, and in the everyday decisions we make at work.

Applied AI is for anyone who's curious about how AI is changing the way we work, build, and think. No technical background needed, just bring your curiosity and an open mind. We’re all about keeping things inclusive and welcoming, and we believe the future of AI should be shaped by a diverse mix of voices. So, whether you’re deep into AI or just starting to explore it, come along to learn something new, meet interesting people, and see what’s possible.

At this Applied AI, you’ll hear from leading thinkers, tinkerers and makers who are applying AI in meaningful, often surprising ways:

🎤 Feature Talk: Large Language Models for the Curious

Speaker: Andy Burgin - GenAI fettler, DevEx, Kubernetes and DevOps | Keynote Speaker | DevOpsDays London Organiser.

Large Language Models are the brains behind AI services and applications. They appear to "know" and "understand" almost everything, but how can such breadth of knowledge be condensed down to a file that comfortably fits on a memory card?

In this talk, I’ll explain what an LLM is, and how they seem to “know” everything and dispel some misconceptions and fears. I'll avoid lots of mathematical and technical jargon (although there will be some), breaking down the concepts into easy to understand explanations. I'll demonstrate an LLM in action using visualisations, showing how the LLM and Transformer calculate the next words in a sequence.

Finally, I'll explain the shortcomings of LLMs and tactics to help improve the model's output.

🛠️ Tech Talk: We Built an AI Cocktail Robot

Speakers: Lawrence Dudley, Co-Founder at Parallax & Jakub Szamuk, Software Engineer at Parallax

How mixing code with cocktails taught us more about AI, teamwork, and the limits of trust in a robot bartender.

At Parallax, we like to say we solve complex problems with simple ideas—and sometimes those ideas come garnished with a slice of lime. This talk lifts the lid (and probably the shaker) on how we built an AI-powered cocktail robot: part hack, part side project, part excuse to test the boundaries of machine learning and margaritas.

We’ll share how we used LLMs, and a splash of questionable decision-making to create a robot that can take your drink order, handle your awkward banter, and pour a surprisingly decent negroni. Along the way, we’ll cover what the project taught us about AI adoption, rapid prototyping, human-machine interactions, and why you should never let a robot name your cocktails.

Expect lessons, laughs, and potentially a hangover. Probably not in that order.

We are committed to making this event accessible to all attendees. If you have any specific accessibility needs or require accommodations, please don't hesitate to contact us. We are here to ensure that everyone can fully enjoy the event, and we'll do our best to accommodate your requirements.

We will be providing food and drinks for those in attendance. If you have any dietary requirements or allergies that we should be aware of, please inform us in advance so that we can accommodate your needs.

Please note that this event will be filmed and photographed for promotional and archival purposes. By attending, you consent to the use of your image and voice in event-related media. If you have any concerns or wish to discuss any privacy considerations, please feel free to contact us. Your comfort and satisfaction are important to us, and we're here to address any questions or requests you may have regarding this matter.

Info: Large Language Models are the brains behind AI services and applications. They appear to "know" and "understand" almost everything, but how can such breadth of knowledge be condensed down to a file that comfortably fits on a memory card?
In this talk, I’ll explain what an LLM is, and how they seem to “know” everything and dispel some misconceptions and fears. I'll avoid lots of mathematical and technical jargon (although there will be some), breaking down the concepts into easy to understand explanations. I'll demonstrate an LLM in action using visualisations, showing how the LLM and Transformer calculate the next words in a sequence.
Finally, I'll explain the shortcomings of LLMs and tactics to help improve the model's output.

Info: How mixing code with cocktails taught us more about AI, teamwork, and the limits of trust in a robot bartender.
At Parallax, we like to say we solve complex problems with simple ideas - and sometimes those ideas come garnished with a slice of lime. In this talk, we’ll explore the end-to-end journey of designing and engineering the experience, including custom 3D-printed components, sensor integration, and the logic that powers AI-driven cocktail recommendations. You'll get a peek under the hood at how data, taste profiles, and user inputs are processed to create unique drink combinations - served with style.

Expect a blend of code walkthroughs, build challenges, and maybe even a live cocktail demo or two. Whether you're into hardware, software, or just enjoy a good drink, this talk serves up a fun, hands-on case study in bringing AI into the physical world - one perfectly mixed drink at a time.

Host or Publisher Parallax