Institute of Physics: Making Sense of Complexity: AI, Physics and the Real World

In this public lecture, Dr Roberto Alamino explores how artificial intelligence and machine learning can help us make sense of complex systems. Drawing on examples from his research and real-world applications, he looks at how data-driven approaches can reveal patterns, support prediction, and help people think about how to intervene in systems that are hard to understand from first principles alone.

The talk considers a wide range of complex phenomena, from networks and biological processes to industrial operations and wider social systems. It also reflects on the limits of AI, and on why combining machine learning with scientific modelling and human understanding may be one of the most promising ways to tackle complexity in physics and beyond.