VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Over 16,000 computer scientists gathered in British Columbia for the NeurIPS 2024, the largest annual event focused on artificial intelligence. The conference, held from December 12 to 16, showcased advancements in AI technology and research.
Industry leaders, including Ilya Sutskever of OpenAI and Fei-Fei Li from Stanford, discussed the future of AI, emphasizing the importance of spatial intelligence over traditional 2D data.
This year’s event saw participation from major companies like Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft, prompting organizers to adjust the schedule to avoid conflicts with a Taylor Swift concert.
The conference has evolved significantly since its inception in 1987, attracting venture capitalists and featuring over 120 sponsors this year, compared to just nine in 2006.
Research output has surged, with ten times more papers accepted than a decade ago. Notably, 10-year-old Harini Shravan became the youngest participant ever to have a paper accepted, using AI to adapt a 3,000-year-old story into a musical.
Experts highlighted the need for modular AI models, with discussions on improving AI evaluation methods gaining traction.