Why Topology Matters for Data Science and AI

Why Topology Matters for Data Science and AI

Author: UCTV August 11, 2026 Duration: 37:50
Topology offers a way to organize complex data by looking for shape, structure, and relationships. Yusu Wang, Ph.D., UC San Diego, and Gunnar E. Carlsson, Ph.D., Stanford University, discuss how ideas from algebraic topology move from pure mathematics into data science, machine learning, and AI. Carlsson explains why topological data analysis helps identify meaningful groups in large data sets, how examples and accessible tools can make abstract math useful, and why interpretability matters as AI systems grow more complex. The conversation connects collaboration across fields, customer-focused entrepreneurship, and the need to train mathematicians and AI researchers to help formulate real-world problems. Their exchange shows how mathematical thinking can make powerful technologies more understandable, usable, and accountable. Series: "Data Science Channel" [Science] [Show ID: 41487]

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Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

University of California Video Podcasts (Video)
Podcast Episodes
The Moment of Decision [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:51:39
What is a decision, and why does decision-making matter in politics, history, war, and public life? This panel examines how decisions differ from choices, when decisions become political, and how theories of rational cho…
The Decision in History [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:59:39
Decision-making in history affects how societies understand power, responsibility, and change. Sir Christopher Clark, Regius Professor of History at the University of Cambridge, explains how narratives turn moments of de…
What is a Decision? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:55:28
Political decision-making affects governments and societies in important ways. Sir Christopher Clark, Regius Professor of History at the University of Cambridge, explains how choices become decisions within political, le…
Menopause and Healthy Aging [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:55
Menopause and healthy aging affect women’s health and well-being in important ways. Dr. Tami Rowen explains how the best available evidence shapes menopausal management, with a focus on the data and safety around hormone…
Janelle Iglesias on Art Identity and Collaboration [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:15
Art can connect personal history, community, and social change. Janelle Iglesias, Assistant Professor of Studio Art at UC San Diego, traces her path from a multicultural childhood in Queens to anthropology, ceramics, scu…
Returning to the Moon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:55
With the success of Artemis II, NASA is preparing for humanity’s return to the Moon through the ambitious Artemis Project. In this lecture, Professor Neil Farber explores the future Artemis missions, the spacecraft and t…