Gheith Abandah

Professor of Computer Engineering in the University of Jordan.

Bio: Holds PhD and MSE degrees in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan (1998 and 1995) and BSc degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Jordan (1985). He is a professor of Computer Engineering in the University of Jordan and was the first president of Aqaba University of Technology. He is the general coordinator of Developing Curricula for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (DeCAIR), which is a 3-year project funded by Erasmus+ Capacity Building in the field of Higher Education program. He has a 25-year academic experience in teaching computer science and engineering topics and in conducting research related to artificial intelligence, Arabic language processing, machine learning, electronic voting, and parallel processing. He has 66 publications, more than 1100 citations, and h-index of 19. He has more than 15 years of industrial experience in localization, military electronics, and product and project development and deployment. Has held leading positions in the private sector including design engineer, project manager, development manager, VP development, and general manager where he successfully managed multiple technical teams to fulfill aggressive deadlines in the Middle East region. He is active volunteer and IEEE senior member, chair of IEEE Region 8 Committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, participated in establishing IEEE – Jordan Section, elected the IEEE – Jordan Section chair for three terms, and established the AEECT and JEEIT international conference series and many innovative activities.
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Speech Title: Unlocking the Power of Large Language Models: Exploring Architectures, Evolving Trends, and Revolutionary Applications

Abstract: In recent years, Large Language Models (LLMs) have emerged as a transformative force in the field of artificial intelligence, reshaping the landscape of natural language understanding and generation. This keynote speech, to be delivered at the ICICS 2023 Conference, delves into the fascinating world of LLMs, their architectures, the dynamic trends shaping their development, and their groundbreaking applications across various domains.

The keynote will commence with an exploration of the foundational architectures that underpin the success of LLMs. It will provide a comprehensive overview of the evolution of LLM architectures, from the early transformers to the most cutting-edge variants, unraveling the technical intricacies that enable these models to process and generate human-like text at an unprecedented scale.

Continuing the journey, we will delve into the ever-evolving trends in the LLM landscape. Attendees will gain insight into the latest developments in pre-training and fine-tuning techniques. Moreover, we will discuss the environmental concerns and sustainability initiatives surrounding the deployment of these data-intensive models, highlighting the industry's commitment to responsible AI development.

One of the most exciting aspects of this keynote will be the exploration of the revolutionary applications of LLMs. From content generation and summarization to natural language understanding and question-answering, LLMs have found their way into various sectors, including healthcare, finance, education, and beyond. Real-world case studies will illustrate how LLMs are transforming industries and solving complex challenges.

Furthermore, the keynote will touch upon the global collaboration and open-source initiatives that have paved the way for democratizing access to LLMs, fostering innovation, and fostering inclusivity in AI research and development.

In conclusion, this keynote speech will offer attendees a panoramic view of the LLM landscape, providing a deep understanding of their architectures, insights into emerging trends, and inspiring examples of their diverse and transformative applications. As we embark on this enlightening journey through the world of Large Language Models, we invite the global technical community to envision the limitless possibilities and ethical responsibilities that come with harnessing the power of these remarkable AI innovations.

Ahmed Al-Dubai

Is currently Professor in the School of Computing, Edinburgh Napier University, where he leads the IoT and Networked Systems Research Group. He is also the Director of the Postgraduate Research Degrees Programme. Prof Al-Dubai was awarded his PhD from the Dept. Computing Science, University of Glasgow in 2004. He leads interdisciplinary research and initiatives on the area of Group Communications, High-performance Networks, Internet of Things, Edge Computing, Future Networks, E-Health, Smart Cities and Security. His research has been supported by EU, Universities UK and the Royal Society, Carnegie Trust, EPSRC and Scottish Funding Council. His findings have been published widely in top tier journals including different IEEE Transactions journals, and in prestigious international conferences including IEEE IPDPS, IEEE ICC, IEEE GLOBECOM, IEEE WCNC, ICPP and IEEE IPCCC.
He has been the recipient of several international academic awards and recognition including Best Papers Awards at IEEE Smart IoT, IEEE IUCC 2015, ACM MoMM 2013 and ACM SAC 2002. Prof Al-Dubai has been regularly invited to give keynote and plenary speeches at several international conferences. He has been a member of several editorial boards of scholarly journals. He has been the Guest Editor for over 30 special issues in scholarly journals and the Chair/Co-Chair of over 35 International Conferences and workshops. Prof Al-Dubai is a Fellow of the British Higher Education Academy and a Senior Member of the IEEE.