Please note that from February 2026 SciBar meets at
Shaw Heath Social Club on the first Tuesday of the month
We meet on the first Tuesday of the month (apart from August, when we take a summer break). Please see below for more information about the upcoming talks, and the About page for timings of all meetings, and for details of the venue and parking.
If you would like to be added to our mailing list so that you can receive monthly meeting reminders, please provide your email address via the Contact page.
Coming soon…
- 3rd February 2026 – The Geography and Economics of American Railroads
The rail network in the USA is the longest in the world, although only half the length it once was. The factors influencing the system’s development stretch from the Ice Age to the Wild West.
Chicago became its most important centre… but why Chicago? Also, what was the Rock Island line?
{Image : Wikipedia}
SciBarian Adrian Fisher will describe the history of this engineering marvel.
- 3rd March 2026 – The Future of AI … Genesis or Nemesis?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been the Holy Grail of computer science ever since the 1960s with the promise of intelligent human-like machines. Press stories warn that intelligent computers are about to take over the world and Steven Hawking warned of dire consequences. Geoff Hinton, one of the founders of modern AI, and others have pointed out the dangers of unregulated future developments and dangerous consequences for humanity.
Alistair Sutcliffe, emeritus professor at The University of Manchester, will explain how AI systems work as learning machines and their dependence on ‘big data’.
Current applications of AI will be surveyed with a review of successes, failures and problems arising from their use.
Alistair will go on to discuss the implications of AI being dominated by large IT companies in USA and China and how AI has become embedded in nearly all internet technology, especially social media. The potential impact on employment and future influences on society will be reviewed including ChatGPT and the evolution of general intelligence and its implications for politics, society and our everyday lives.
Knutsford SciBar 