CENTURY’s Brain and AI Webinar: Under the Hood and Beyond the Hype
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
We recently delivered a webinar entitled, The Brain and AI: Under the Hood and Beyond the Hype, which brought together a varied audience, including educators and technologists, to explore the intricate links between neuroscience and artificial intelligence (AI). Hosted by Charles Wood, our Global Director of Schools, the session featured expert insights from CENTURY’s Head of Cognitive Neuroscience, Alice Little, CEO Priya Lakhani, VP of Architecture Sam Smart, and Chief Education Officer, Tom Thacker.
The webinar began with a fascinating overview of the brain, highlighting its unparalleled complexity with over 100 billion neurons and trillions of synapses. Alice detailed how these biological structures inspired the artificial neural networks at the heart of AI systems. She used the comparison of the brain’s functions and a sprawling city, with countless interconnected routes enabling diverse cognitive processes. Her explanation of synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis—key to memory formation and learning—drew parallels with AI’s ability to adapt through mechanisms like backpropagation.
While artificial neural networks mimic the brain’s basic architecture, generative AI, such as large language models (LLMs), takes inspiration from broader neural principles. The presentation touched on three key brain-inspired concepts that underpin transformers—the foundational technology for LLMs. First, the self-attention mechanism, allowing the selective focus on relevant data, mirrors the brain’s filtering of critical information. Second, hierarchical processing layers enable transformers to extract increasingly abstract patterns, akin to how the brain processes sensory input. Finally, distributed representation, wherein tasks are shared across regions for resilience, parallels the robustness of advanced AI systems.
Next up, Priya, our CEO and Founder, expanded on these foundations, emphasising that “not all AI is equal.” Something that she was keen to communicate was the critical role of data in shaping AI models, noting that, like human experiences, the datasets feeding AI determine its outputs. This diversity underscores the importance of matching AI tools to specific educational needs. As the presentation progressed, Priya also warned against misconceptions, urging educators to focus not on adopting AI for its own sake, but on identifying genuine goals and problems before determining where AI might offer solutions.
Priya handed over to Sam to delve into the technicalities of generative AI, showcasing how LLMs generate content by leveraging embeddings, self-attention mechanisms, and sophisticated training processes. This was followed by a demonstration of CENTURY’s TeacherGENie tool, which utilises context-aware retrieval systems to create tailored quizzes, demonstrating the potential for generative AI to reduce teacher workload and enhance productivity. This was also a great opportunity to focus on the complementary role of non-generative AI, such as CENTURY’s knowledge tracing model, which analyses student interactions to predict future performance and recommend personalised learning paths.
The webinar underscored AI’s dual promise: augmenting human efforts and fostering efficiency. Tom, CENTURY’s Chief Education Officer, illustrated this through CENTURY’s adaptive learning platform, which provides tailored interventions based on real-time data analysis. By identifying gaps in students’ knowledge, recommending targeted resources or ‘nuggets’, and tracking retention through the platform’s memory boost function, CENTURY exemplifies how AI can transform education. The key role of educators is key in interpreting data insights to determine classroom interventions, reinforcing the balance between AI tools and human expertise.
To end the session, Priya concluded with practical advice on crafting an AI strategy. She urged institutions to begin with clear objectives, conducting needs assessments to identify where AI might deliver productivity gains, predictive insights, or personalised solutions. Small-scale pilots are a low-risk starting point, with measurable KPIs ensuring alignment with the goals of your institution. The ethical considerations of AI were also a key discussion point, to ensure transparency, accountability, and the avoidance of bias. The upskilling of educators to prevent over-reliance on AI and to preserve the irreplaceable human elements of teaching is key to any strategy.
We hope the webinar gave attendees a deeper understanding of AI’s potential and the thoughtful approaches required to harness it effectively. While AI offers transformative opportunities, the speakers reminded us that education remains inherently human—a balance of intelligence, empathy, and creativity that no algorithm can replicate.
To find out more about the CENTURY’s generative and non-generative AI, book a demo here.
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