Causal Bandits Podcast

Causal AI & Dynamical Systems || Naftali Weinberger || Causal Bandits Ep. 005 (2023)

Alex Molak Season 1 Episode 5

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Recorded on Aug 29, 2023 in München, Germany


Can we meaningfully talk about causality in dynamical systems?

Some people are puzzled when it comes to dynamical systems and the idea of causation.

Dynamical systems well-known in physics, social sciences, and biology are often thought of as a special family of systems, where it might be difficult to meaningfully talk about causal direction.

Naftali Weinberger devoted his career to examining the relationships between system dynamics, causality and the phenomena known broadly as "complexity".

We explore what does "intervention" mean in a dynamical system and we deconstruct common intuitions about causality and system's equilibrium.

We discuss the importance of time scales when defining a causal system, analyze what could have inspired Bertrand Russell to say that causality is a "relic of a bygone age" and ponder the phenomenon of emergence.

Finally, Naftali shares his advice for those of us just starting exploring the uncharted territory of causal inference and discovery.

Warning: this conversation might bend your sense of reality.

Use with caution!

Ready to dive in?


About The Guest
Naftali Weinberger, PhD is a Researcher at Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy at LMU. His research is focused on causality, dynamical systems and fairness. He works with scientists, researchers and philosophers around the globe helping them address challenges in diverse fields like climate change, psychometrics, fairness and more. 

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About The Host
Aleksander (Alex) Molak is an independent machine learning researcher, educator, entrepreneur and a best-selling author in the area of causality.

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