I have lots of material for a short talk to Southport Scientific Society, on Generative AI. However, I want to do something imaginative and innovative to illustrate the potential of AI.
I’ve decided to use Copilot AI Assistant to help in fleshing my ideas out.
When I say “we,” I mean Copilot and me. It helps me come up with ideas without overthinking. I consider how AI works but prefer to speak naturally instead of using precise language. Even if it seems like random thoughts, AI can understand my prompts just fine.
Conversation with AI
I’m planning a talk for Southport Scientific Society on AI. What we need to do is create a simple outline sketch of the topics and approach. It is a mixed audience looking for an insight into Generative AI. Its a relatively short talk of around an hour with questions to follow. I tend to do talks that are very different from the standard approach. My aims are: that attendees can gain something from the talk and hopefully, for a few of them, open up doors that were seen as impossible before; the talk will be not only be inspiring but a revelation to most people on what is achievable; it will provide an insight into the future. The first half of the talk will be illustrating what we have done and the second half will explain AI, how it works and its future potential. The opening will be an image of the game of Go, with a robot playing against a Chinese champion, there will be the lyrics we created and the song playing in the background. This will lead onto a brief discussion on the history of AI. This will be followed by the audio conversion where Copilot explains to our local MP what we have been doing at Southport Innovation Centre and the example proposal AISDO. This takes is into a quick look at the Innovation Centre site and a explanation of how STEAM can foster innovation and how AI provides an exponential shift in opportunities for innovation. We will then look at a few examples across the site covering: Healthcare and Southport A&E department which we have looked at in a lot of detail; designing and developing a physical Innovation Centre in its three potential forms, a large public centre, a centre within a school or community space or a personal “Innovation Centre in a Box”; finally AISDO which is quite a large topic. In all cases I will be showing them the actual conversations, without going through the details. We are now half way through. After a short break I will cover AI in general, with a focus on Generative AI. I am an digital artist, in addition to having a background in advance technology and major business systems, so will use this experience. The second section will start with one of my images from a collection covering a Never Ending Story. It is an AI generated image of Alice walking through a Random Forest, past a field of Irises (these flowers are often used as a simple example for AI algorithms), in the distance are dangerous looking clouds created using fractal graphics, she has a broach on her shoulder in then shape of a Chaos Butterfly. I can now briefly cover generative AI, AI algorithms and touch on Chaos Theory. The next image covers AI more widely. It was initially generated using Generative AI and Digital Art, and modified using AI Edge Computing. It shows a painter painting two pictures one traditional and one AI generated. The AI generated image show a railway track extending from a futuristic city. On the track is a train and a robot. The original image was created using generative AI, however the robot and train only appeared when a micro processor (in the from of a magic wand) running Edge AI, was moved in a the correct way. This changed the image as the microprocessor was connected to the Processing language running on my desktop, which transformed the image. I can now cover Edge AI, AI vision systems and AI motion systems. The next image will cover Innovation as it was created as part of a project integrating, maths, chaos theory, 3D printing, generative AI, story telling and music. The full range of STEAM + AI. Finally I will refer back to the first session and cover how AI can be used by everyone and benefit people with disabilities and industry leaders. Also Ethical AI, practical challenges and risks will be covered. I will focus on the use of Copilot and Microsoft 365 for individuals, the additional use of Copilot extensions for small businesses, and touch on the evolution of Microsoft Fabric and knowledge graphs for major businesses. Other AI assistants will also be covered. I will also cover how AI can run on local devices using Ollama, which I can demonstrate. Can you produce a short plan for this talk, and also a brief description for participants.
Absolutely, David. Here’s a short plan for your talk at the Southport Scientific Society, followed by a brief description for participants. The structure reflects your unique style—creative, visionary, and inclusive—while guiding a mixed audience through both inspiration and understanding.
🧭 Talk Plan: “AI and the Never Ending Story of Innovation”
Duration: ~1 hour + Q&A
Audience: Mixed ages and backgrounds, curious about Generative AI and its real-world potential
🔹 Opening (5 mins)
- Visual & Musical Introduction:
Image of Go match (robot vs Chinese champion)
Play “The Game That Changed the World” verse and song - Theme: A moment that sparked a global race in AI
🔹 Part 1: What We’ve Done (20 mins)
- Brief History of AI
- From rule-based systems to learning machines
- The shift to Generative AI
- Southport Innovation Centre & AISDO
- Audio clip: Copilot explains our work to the local MP
- Quick visual tour of the Innovation Centre site
- STEAM as a catalyst for inclusive innovation
- Real-World Examples
- Healthcare: Southport A&E and AI-enhanced triage
- Innovation Centre Models:
- Public hub
- School/community space
- Personal “Innovation Centre in a Box”
- AISDO: Infrastructure transformation and AI strategy
(Show snippets of actual conversations, not full detail)
🔹 Break (5 mins)
🔹 Part 2: Understanding AI & Its Future (25 mins)
- Generative AI & Chaos Theory
- Image: Alice in the Random Forest
- Irises as algorithmic metaphors
- Chaos Butterfly broach → unpredictability and emergence
- Edge AI & Vision Systems
- Image: Painter with dual canvases
- Microprocessor “magic wand” demo
- AI motion, vision, and real-time transformation
- STEAM + AI Integration
- Image: Innovation through maths, music, storytelling, and 3D printing
- The power of interdisciplinary creativity
- Practical AI for Everyone
- Copilot in Microsoft 365 for individuals
- Extensions for small businesses
- Microsoft Fabric and knowledge graphs for enterprise
- Ethical AI, accessibility, and inclusion
- Local AI with Ollama (live demo optional)
🔹 Closing & Q&A (5–10 mins)
- Reconnect with opening theme
- Invite questions, ideas, and future collaborations
📣 Participant Description
Title: AI and the Never Ending Story of Innovation
Speaker: David Sutton, Strategic Advisor, Technologist, and Digital Artist
Description:
Join us for a visually rich and thought-provoking journey into the world of Artificial Intelligence. This talk blends storytelling, digital art, and real-world examples to explore how AI is transforming Southport—and the world. From a legendary game of Go to local innovation in healthcare and infrastructure, we’ll uncover how Generative AI, Edge AI, and STEAM-powered creativity are opening doors for individuals, families, and communities. Whether you’re curious, cautious, or captivated by AI, this session will offer insight, inspiration, and a glimpse into the future.
The Presentation
This video is an early video created for timing the talk. Its a bit rough but provides the general idea. I won’t be recording the talk, so have made this available. The actual talk will most likely be a condensed version of this video, depending on the time available.
The discussions on Health, The Innovation Centre, Education and AISDO are covered a detail on this site. AISDO is included under AI.
Southport Innovation Centre 