Events

This paper examines how people evaluate the creativity of AI-generated versus human-made artworks. Using commissioned works in three styles (charcoal animals, minimalist logos, and watercolor landscapes) researchers generated AI versions with Stable Diffusion. Participants rated each artwork’s creativity (0–10) and bid in auctions to assess monetary value. AI-generated landscapes were rated more creative and received higher bids. Creativity perceptions were influenced by detail, scene composition, and color use. Interestingly, visual errors did not reduce, and sometimes enhanced, creativity ratings. The study concludes that participants often preferred AI-generated art, particularly landscapes, due to their higher aesthetic appeal and creative presentation.

HASS Colloquium by Ryan Holroyd – This presentation will map the structure of Chinese maritime trade in Southeast Asia from about 1570, during the Ming dynasty. It will then compare this structure to the Chinese shipping network that was re-established after the Qing dynasty’s conquest of Taiwan and the legalisation of private maritime trade in 1684.

The Healthy City project bridges the disciplines of urban health and planning through a structured three-step framework: (1) Urban analytics to identify gaps and opportunities in the built environment; (2) Digital tools, such as behavioral nudging, to promote healthier commuting choices; and (3) Data-driven urban design to reimagine neighborhoods that support active lifestyles. Focused on quantifying health outcomes from Walk-Cycle-Ride (WCR) modes and access to amenities like parks and transit, the project prioritizes inclusivity and sustainability. Through a combination of location intelligence and behavioral strategies, The Healthy City aims to cultivate equitable communities that advance well-being, mobility, and overall urban livability.

This talk will identify trends in contemporary Muslim societies in Southeast Asia, focusing primarily on Indonesia and Malaysia. Drawing on two and a half decades of studying political Islam in the region, the talk will explore the prevailing schools of thought in the study of Islamism in the region and what scholars have identified as the “conservative turn” in Muslim socioreligious mobilization, examine these developments against larger transnational sources of Islamist activism, and discuss how and why these dynamics have resonated with and empowered political Islam in the region in the last four decades.

ISTD Seminar by Subhajit Datta – We live in an era of algorithms. Our digital footprints let algorithms decide which doors will open for us, both literally and figuratively.

ISTD Seminar by Subhajit Datta – Software systems are everywhere. Over the past few decades, we have increasingly come to depend on these systems for our needs.

How can we make better decisions in climate-sensitive domains like health and urban design, when the data we rely on is noisy and uncertain?

JHU Center on Global Poverty Speaker Series by Nilanjan Raghunath – This talk explores AI not merely as a set of tools, but as part of a broader system shaped by social, institutional, and ethical considerations.

ISTD PhD Oral Defence Seminar by Hong Pengfei – This thesis addresses critical questions surrounding the evaluation and enhancement of reasoning robustness, generalisability, and comprehensiveness in modern language models, particularly under realistic conditions involving noise, ambiguity, domain shifts, and multimodal inputs.