Santa Fe Institute Courses

Can Algorithms Bend the Arc Toward Justice?

Explore algorithmic fairness, intersectionality, and the challenges of balancing accuracy with equity in machine learning and public safety applications.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 25 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Daniel Casasanto: The Ad Hoc Construction of Meaning

Explore how meaning is constructed on-the-fly, challenging traditional views of fixed word meanings and examining the role of bodily experiences in language comprehension.

• YouTube
• 35 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Yoshua Bengio- System 2 GFlowNets- Induction Biases Towards Machines that Understand and Think

Explore Yoshua Bengio's insights on System 2 GFlowNets, examining induction biases for AI that understands and thinks. Delve into deep learning, cognitive theories, and innovative approaches to machine intelligence.

• YouTube
• 30 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Why "Self-Generated Learning" May Be More Radical and Consequential Than First Appears

Explore self-generated learning's radical impact on cognitive development through data-driven insights, experiments, and complex dynamic systems analysis with Linda Smith.

• YouTube
• 39 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Could a Purely Self-Supervised Foundation Model Achieve Grounded Language Understanding?

Exploring the potential of self-supervised foundation models for grounded language understanding, discussing semantics, multi-modal streams, and causal abstraction in large networks.

• YouTube
• 35 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Penny Pexman - Multimodal Grounding for Concrete and Abstract Concepts

Explore multimodal grounding for concrete and abstract concepts with Professor Penny Pexman, examining lexical-semantic processing, sensorimotor experience, and dimensions of meaning in language comprehension.

• YouTube
• 32 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Guy Dove- Language Is a Neuroenhancement

Explore how language enhances cognitive abilities, examining embodied cognition, abstract concepts, and the elastic mind. Gain insights into human intelligence and its implications for AI development.

• YouTube
• 32 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

C. Brandon Ogbunu on Epistasis and The Primacy of Context in Complex Systems

Exploring context-dependency in complex systems, from protein folding to neighborhood effects, using interdisciplinary approaches. Discusses evolutionary biology, epidemiology, and the intersection of science and culture.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 14 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

The Evolution of Root Systems & Biogeochemical Cycling

Exploring root system evolution and its impact on biogeochemical cycles. Insights into plant adaptation, nutrient acquisition, and ecological interactions, with implications for understanding complex systems and future technologies.

• YouTube
• 54 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

From Undirected to Directed Networks of Dynamical Agents - Robin Delabays

Explore the impact of directedness in network models, focusing on diffusive interactions and their consequences in systems like power grids, brain networks, and social networks.

• YouTube
• 51 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Multiscale Crisis Response - Melanie Moses & Kathy Powers, Part 2

Exploring multiscale crisis response to COVID-19, examining societal polarization, scientific challenges, and institutional responses through a complexity science lens.

• YouTube
• 46 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Nonadditive Entropies and Statistical Mechanics at the Edge of Chaos - Cornerstones

Explore nonadditive entropies and statistical mechanics at chaos' edge. Delve into Boltzmann-Gibbs entropy, Q-logarithm, and complex networks, challenging traditional thermodynamic principles.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 15 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Recognizing the Alien in Us

Explore the intersection of physics and biology in the quest to define life, its origins, and potential existence beyond Earth, guided by astrobiologist Sara Walker's innovative perspectives.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 40 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Why Are Cell Populations Maintained via Multiple Intermediate Compartments?

Explore the efficiency of multiple intermediate compartments in maintaining cell populations, minimizing clonality, and optimizing division rounds from progenitors to product cells.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 7 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Cascading Transitions in the Behavioral and Social Sciences

Explore cascading transitions in psycho-social systems, focusing on opinion change, learning, and addiction. Discover how these multilevel processes work and their potential impacts on society.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 9 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video