AI at Scale: Cost, Infrastructure, and Representation (w/ The AI Collective)
We are excited to launch the first event for the Cambridge chapter of the AI Collective.
AI is getting easier to build. Running it at scale is where things get harder.
We are at an inflection point in AI. As foundation models become commoditised and open-weight releases accelerate, the bottleneck is no longer who can build the best model, but who can afford to run them at scale.
At the same time, these systems are increasingly used to represent and make decisions about real people. But most models are optimised for the average case. The edges, the smaller groups, and the less common combinations are often the first things to disappear.
This event brings together two perspectives on that shift, from infrastructure to representation.
We will explore:
Why inference and infrastructure are becoming the real bottlenecks in AI
What it takes to run AI systems in production, not just build them
How scaling these systems impacts what and who gets represented
What this means for builders, researchers, and the wider ecosystem
Speakers
Rosemary Francis
CTO, CommonAI Compute
Rosemary will share how the industry has reached this inflection point, and why ARIA has invested £50M into the Scaling Inference Programme to reduce the cost of running AI systems.
Michael Birdsall
Co-founder, Cambium AI
Michael will explore how AI systems represent populations in practice, and why variance, edge cases, and real-world distributions matter when these tools are used for decision-making.
There will be time after the talks to connect with others working in and around AI. This is the first Cambridge chapter meetup, so come along, meet people, and help shape the community.
Schedule
5:30 pm — Arrival, drinks, and pizza
6:00 pm — Opening
Introducing the AI Collective Cambridge chapter
6:05 pm — The Cost of Running AI
Talk by Rosemary Francis, CommonAI
6:30 pm — Representation at Scale
Talk by Michael Birdsall, Cambium AI
6:50 pm — Discussion + Q&A
7:00 pm — Networking
7:30 pm — Close
Please be advised: Unfortunately, space is very limited at these community events, and we can not always accept everyone we would like to. If you are not accepted to this event, please join the waitlist, and you will be notified if a space becomes available.
Should you have any dietary requirements, please notify us ahead of the event.
The AI Collective is a global non-profit building the human layer for the AI era. We unite 200,000+ leaders, builders, and stakeholders across 100+ forums worldwide to democratize the frontier, build trust, and coordinate how society navigates the rapid acceleration of technological progress.
All attendees and organizers at events affiliated with The AI Collective agree to our privacy policy and are subject to our code of conduct.