AI is not neutral, it is not magic, but it is built. And if it is built, the people it serves can understand, question then shape it.
Speakers
Melanie Preen and Astryd Park
Agenda
6.30pm - Event start with welcome and introductions - Dalim Basu, Chair of BCS London Central, North and South branches
6.35pm - Presentation 1 - Melanie Preen, Demystifying AI: Stop Calling it Magic
7.00pm - Presentation 1 ends and Q&A with Melanie
7.10pm - Introduction to next speaker - Dalim Basu
7.15pm - Presentation 2 - Astryd Park, AI and Quantum
7.40pm - Presentation 2 ends and Q&A with Astryd
7.50pm - Closing statements
8.00pm - Pesentation ends with networking and refreshments for those attending at the BCS London office
9.00pm - Event close
Synopsis
AI is not magic or neutral, it’s built from data, architecture, and human decisions, reflecting the people who create it. In the first talk, we decode what goes on behind AI models: how these models really work, why bias emerges, and how to stay literate in a rapidly evolving field. Understanding these foundations transforms AI from a mysterious force into a tool you can critically engage with.
The second talk builds on this foundation, exploring Quantum AI and how emerging computational paradigms can unlock entirely new creative possibilities.
Together, the session moves from understanding the systems that shape our world to imagining the frontiers we can create. Attendees will leave empowered to understand AI, ask critical questions, and participate in shaping the technologies that influence our world.
Talk 1 - Melanie Preen
AI Isn’t Magic: Understanding the Systems That Shape Our World
AI is not neutral, it is not magic, but it is built. And if it is built, the people it serves can understand, question then shape it.
Artificial intelligence is often framed as magical. In reality, AI systems are built from data, mathematical models and human design decisions, and they inevitably reflect the societies that create them. From algorithmic bias and the lessons of the Gender Shades study to the mechanics behind AI models, the session shows how AI systems inherit patterns from the world they are trained on and why that matters for fairness and participation.
Rather than treating bias as a technical glitch, the talk reframes it as the result of choices made during system design, including who is present and who is absent. It also explores why understanding the mechanics of machine learning is the first step toward agency in a world increasingly shaped by AI.
By the end of the talk, the audience will have a clearer understanding of how AI works, as well as practical ways to stay literate in a rapidly evolving field and participate in shaping the technologies being built today.
Talk 2 - Astryd Park
Creative rendezvous between classical and Quantum: Powering Up Classical ML with Quantum Computing
Beyond LLM-based chatbots and Nano Banana’s image generation, artists and creative technologists actively investigated the impacts of AI usage on creative workflows.
In this presentation, Astryd introduces how classical AI can actually help address the technical problems that the creative industry is confronting. Astryd expands the classical ML approach to quantum computing, where nature’s way of treating information can demonstrate creative potential, via a hybrid architecture of classical and quantum AI.
The presentation includes a brief introduction to real-world use cases of QAI, in the context of music and gaming, based on MOTH’s recent achievements.
About the speakers
Melanie Preen
Melanie Preen is an AVP Tech Analyst at at Tier-1 Bank, driving AI innovation across Global Markets Technology. This includes the strategic adoption of AI Copilot tools and leading a Women’s Developer Group Chapter. She serves as Hackathon Lead at GirlsWhoML, mentoring young people through STEMETTES and championing equity and innovation in technology.
Her entrepreneurial drive includes hosting a TEDx event, co-founding a 3D-printed prosthetic hands club, engineering a biomimicry fish that captures microplastics. At the University of Manchester her final research explored trust and machine learning bias through the lens of gender minorities. She examines how technology reflects the people who build it, starting with empathy. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Opinions are her own and do not represent the stance of her company.
Astryd Park
Astryd Park is a Visiting Academic at UAL Creative Computing Institute and a Quantum Application Engineer at MOTH Quantum, who has been making creative applications of quantum computing since 2020.
Their interest is in building systems/applications/solutions that harness the creative side of cutting-edge technologies. They are one of the creators of MOTH’s Quantum Brush application, which bridges quantum computing with visual media.
Their work has been showcased at Berlin Science Week, London Tech Week and the Quantum After Dark event in Science Gallery, which showcases the creative side of quantum computing. Their research interest is building sustainable, deployable research outputs for creative industries, via both classical and quantum computing.
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This event is brought to you by: London Central branch , London North branch and London South branch.
