Virtual Lectures via Zoom Webinar
Fall Series 2026
Dr. Steve Engels
AI and Big Data
Presented by Dr. Steve Engels
Thursdays, October 15 to November 19, 2026 (Six lectures)
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
To be offered as virtual lectures via Zoom Webinar. Recordings of each lecture will be made available to all paid participants for one week following each live lecture.
Cost $50 per household for this six-lecture series
Times
9:50 – 10:00 a.m. Participants can join the webinar
10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Lecture
11:00 a.m. Refreshment break
11:10 a.m. Q & A
12:00 noon Lecture ends
Registration begins on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. and tickets will be on sale until Friday, October 9, 2026 at 11:30 p.m. After October 9, it will not be possible to register for individual lectures or a partial lecture series.
This course provides a guide to the world of AI and big data, starting from the fundamental AI concepts in everyday life to the latest advancements and future directions. Explore big data concepts like “free” services, user modelling, privacy and security. Learn about cutting-edge AI developments in machine learning and generative AI in an accessible environment for both avid techies and complete novices alike.
Why Take This Course?
The fields of AI and big data are advancing rapidly, with far-reaching implications. This course will introduce knowledge to help navigate this evolving technological landscape. Attendees will learn about the impact of AI on daily life and society as a whole to help inform future conversations about the benefits and challenges posed by AI.
Click on the link to download a printable PDF of the Lecture Agenda: LifeLong Learning Mississauga Lecture October 2026 AI and Big Data
15 October 2026: History of AI and big data
Discover the fascinating history and various disciplines of AI. Learn the basics of Big Data and how it connects to modern AI. Understand the basic domain of AI and the high-level benefits and risks.
22 October 2026: Robotics
Explore how real-world AI systems perceive the world through voice recognition, language processing and computer vision, including self-driving cars and robotic humanoids.
29 October 2026: Learning
Understand modern approaches to data-driven AI, which learns its understanding and interactions with the world. Learn about techniques such as reinforcement learning, supervised and unsupervised learning, and neural network architecture.
5 November 2026: Large Language Models
Uncover the technology behind AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, their applications and their limitations.
12 November 2026: Artificial Creativity
Delve into the world of generative art, music, video and design. Learn the current abilities and limitations of these generative technologies.
19 November 2026: Big Data
Grasp the significance of big data, how it’s collected and how patterns are discovered within it. Explore crowdsourcing and the Internet of Things (IoT). Discover practical applications of big data in AI, such as protein structure prediction and user modelling, and discuss issues of data bias, discrimination, safety and privacy.
Dr. Steve Engels (BASc, MMath, PhD) has been a professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto since 2002. Steve is an award-winning instructor for courses in computer organization, artificial intelligence and video game design, and has supervised nearly 200 graduate students and thesis projects in these areas. Steve’s main research is in AI and machine learning, particularly generative AI and music generation. Steve’s research also combines AI with fields such as education, animation, mining and video games.