Abstact: Astronomy has always had a deep relationship with data, which has now extended to a relationship with AI. The first applications of AI to astronomy happened long before AI became mainstream, and over the years the applications have kept pace with developments in AI. In my talk I will summaries these developments, beginning with simple machine learning and progressing to the Foundation Models of the present. I will then describe astronomical applications of various AI models across domains.
Short bio: Ajit Kembhavi is Emeritus Professor at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, and a Visiting Distinguished Professor at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. He is one of the Founders of IUCAA and was Director there until August 2015. Kembhavi’s research interest are in galaxies, quasars, high energy astrophysics and data driven science. Kembhavi has been a member of the Space Commission of the Government of India and is presently a member of the ISRO’s Apex Science Board. He was Vice-President of the International Astronomical Union, President, Astronomical Society of India and President, Indian Association for General Relativity and Gravitation and Chair of the International Virtual Observatory Alliance. He is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences, India.