Western OR Discussion Society (WORDS)


WORDS is the regional branch of the OR Society, covering the south-west of England from Wiltshire to Cornwall. Most of our meetings are held in Bristol although we have some joint meetings with other regional societies, particularly SWORDS in Cardiff and MORS in Cheltenham.

Through thought-provoking seminars, workshops, engaging discussions, and networking events, WORDS is an inclusive community of operational researchers in the western region.

Upcoming Events:

Joint SWORDS/WORDS Seminar - Operational Research and Artificial Intelligence: A Synergy for Success: Tuesday 6th February 

Gilbert Owusu, BT and President of the OR Society

Location: Abacws, School of Mathematics, Senghennydd Road, Cardiff University in room 2.26

Time: Refreshments served from 5:15pm, talk starts at 5:45pm

Synopsis

AI is certainly responsible for quite a bit of societal change. However, AI models are not infallible and require careful design, evaluation, and optimization to ensure their effectiveness and reliability. Like the earlier ’waves’ of analytics and data science, the ORS has spent quite some time thinking through the overlap with AI.

In this talk, I will elaborate on how OR can contribute to the development and deployment of AI solutions, as well as to the evaluation and mitigation of their risks and impacts. I will also discuss how the ORS is positioning itself to take advantage of the interest in AI and to increase the awareness and appreciation of OR among AI practitioners, policy makers, and the wider society.

Biography

Dr. Gilbert Owusu is a Data & AI Director at BT Group. He has a strong track record in applying AI and operational modelling technologies which have led to significant customer service improvements and OPEX reduction in BT’s operations. Gilbert’s work on applying AI technologies for transforming service operations have been published widely in book chapters, conferences, and journals.

He is the co-editor of two books on service production management. Gilbert is the current President of the Operational Research Society, a visiting professor at University of Essex and University of Leicester.  

The event is being held jointly with WORDS. All are welcome. To register, please follow the link below. 

REGISTER HERE

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Committee details

Ken McNaught Chair
Ian Mitchell Treasurer
Richard Wood  Committee Member 
John Crocker  Committee Member 

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