Bocconi Hosts Top Data Scientist
Next April 17, Bocconi University will welcome leading Data Scientist Hadley Wickham for a new BEMACS Lecture exploring the evolving role of coding in the era of generative artificial intelligence.
Wickham, Chief Scientist at Posit and one of the most influential leaders in the field of Data Science, is widely known for developing foundational and highly successful tools (both computational and cognitive) that make the process of learning from data easier, faster, rigorous, and even more fun. Winner of the 2019 COPSS award, he is the mastermind behind R packages, such as tidyverse, that have shaped modern Data Science practice.
In his lecture, titled “# Y code when AI?”, Wickham will address a central question in the age of AI: what is the value of learning how to program when machines can now generate code on demand? While software engineering has evolved to the point where there is now relatively little need to personally write code, Wickham’s Lecture will argue that this does not mean “you should no longer learn to code. In fact, it's now a better time to learn than ever before. Coding agents might have changed how we create code, but code as an artifact of reasoning and reproducibility is still incredibly valuable.”
The event is part of the BEMACS Lecture series, which brings distinguished international speakers to discuss the societal and scientific impact of Data Science. Quoting Wickham’s abstract: “This is a scary time, but it's also exhilarating […] The ceiling on what individuals can build has never been higher, and it's easier than ever to bring your imagination to life”.
Registration is required.