(From rules through neural networks to generative AI)

Keynote speaker: Professor Ruslan Mitkov

Date: May 13, 2024

Time: At noon, UK time

Link: https://rb.gy/rqm4ii

Abstract

Natural Language Processing (NLP) is undergoing dynamic and unprecedented changes as never before. While we have always known that NLP is not a magic technology which always has been far from 100% accurate, the landscape of Language and Translation Technology is changing. First Deep Learning methods and now Large Language Models, have taken the world by storm. This easy-to-follow and entertaining talk will seek to shed a light on the future of Natural Language Processing in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) era.

The evolution of NLP methods will be exemplified by reporting the experiments and results of ongoing studies which compare the performance of traditional rule-based NLP approaches with the performance of Deep Learning methods and Large Language Models.

These studies will serve as platform for a follow-up discission on the future of Natural Language Processing. The speaker will emphasise that he is not a clairvoyant but on the basis of his experience in the field he will attempt to predict the likely future of artificial intelligence as compared to human intelligence taking language as a testbed.

About Prof Dr Ruslan Mitkov:

Prof Dr Ruslan Mitkov is Professor in Computing and Communications at Lancaster University. Prior to joining Lancaster University, Prof Mitkov worked at the University of Wolverhampton where he created and led the internationally leading Research Group in Computational Linguistics, and was also Director of the Research Institute of Information and Language Processing as well as Director of the Responsible Digital Humanities Lab. Currently Prof Mitkov is also Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Alicante, Spain.

Dr Mitkov has been working in Natural Language Processing (NLP), Computational Linguistics, Corpus Linguistics, Machine Translation, Translation Technology and related areas since the early 1980s. Whereas Prof Mitkov is best known for his seminal contributions to the areas of anaphora resolution, automatic generation of multiple-choice tests and new generation translation memory systems, his extensively cited research (more than 320 publications including 15 books, 35 journal articles and 35 book chapters) also includes but is not limited to topics such as computational phraseology, machine translation, natural language processing for language disabilities, automatic summarisation, computer-aided language processing, corpus annotation, bilingual term extraction, automatic identification of cognates and false friends, NLP-driven corpus-based study of translation universals and text simplification. His recent research includes the employment of Deep Learning, Large Language Models and Artificial Intelligence in Natural Language Processing, Translation Technology, Linguistics and language research in general. Prof Mitkov is not only known for his original research outputs with high scientific impact, but also known for his vision and innovative applied research which seeks to enhance the work efficiency of different professions (teachers, translators and interpreters) or seeks to improve the quality of life (people with disabilities).

Prof Mitkov is author of the monograph Anaphora resolution (Longman) and sole Editor of The Oxford Handbook of Computational Linguistics (Oxford University Press) which has been hailed as the most successful Oxford Handbook and whose second, substantially revised edition was published in June 2022. Current prestigious projects include his role as Executive Editor of the journal Natural Language Processing (formerly Journal of Natural Language Engineering) published by Cambridge University Press, Editor-in-Chief of the Natural Language Processing book series of John Benjamins publishers, and Consulting Editor of Oxford University Press publications in Computational Linguistics.

Prof Mitkov has been invited as a keynote speaker at more than 240 international conferences and is/has been Chair of more than 70 conferences on Natural Language Processing, Translation Technology and Applied Linguistics topics. He is editor of more than 15 volumes published by Springer and John Benjamins.

Mitkov designed and is Director of the first and only Erasmus Mundus Master’s programme in Technology for Translation and Interpreting - an innovative and inspirational programme, with a strong research focus but an equally strong emphasis on business; leading companies in the global translation and language industry participate as associated partners.

Prof Mitkov has been an external examiner of many doctoral theses and curricula in the UK and abroad, including Master’s programmes related to NLP, Translation and Translation Technology.

Ruslan Mitkov received his MSc from the Humboldt University in Berlin, his PhD from the Technical University in Dresden and worked as a Research Professor at the Institute of Mathematics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia. He is a Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany, Marie Curie Fellow, Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Franche-Comté in Besançon, France and Distinguished Visiting Researcher at the University of Malaga, Spain.

Ruslan Mitkov is Vice President of AsLing an international Association for promoting Language Technology.

In September 2022 the renowned National Board of Medical Examiners (USA) presented Prof Mitkov with a certificate of distinguished collaboration which resulted in lasting impact on the strategic planning and decision making of the US organisation and their employment of NLP solutions to assessment for the last 17 years.

In recognition of his outstanding professional/research achievements, Prof Mitkov was awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa three times.

For additional information, please visit Prof Mitkov’s webpage (https://wp.lancs.ac.uk/mitkov/).