In this talk from Upper Bound 2025, Abby Azari, Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta and Canada CIFAR Chair at Amii, presents on "ML for the Exploration and Scientific Understanding of Planets", specifically the ones in our solar system. Dr. Azari articulates how machine learning has become indispensable in planetary science, driven by the vast and ever-growing datasets from missions like Maven and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The presentation underscores that conventional, "out-of-the-box" machine learning methods are often inadequate for answering complex scientific questions in this domain, necessitating the integration of physics-based understanding. She discusses how data sparsity, particularly due to dynamic solar cycles and mission limitations, poses a significant challenge, making physics-informed machine learning crucial. Dr. Azari highlights the use of ML to emulate computationally intensive physics-based models, enabling scientists to solve inverse problems such as estimating solar wind conditions, probing planetary interiors, and assessing the success probability of future space missions like those to Europa. A key focus is on incorporating uncertainty quantification into these emulators to ensure reliable scientific conclusions. The talk also outlines the broad applications of machine learning in planetary science, from pre-mission planning and autonomous mission operations to post-mission data analysis.

Upper Bound 2025 is Amii's annual artificial intelligence conference, held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The conference brings together researchers, industry professionals, and policymakers to explore the leading-edge in AI, foster innovation, and discuss its applications across themes such as critical infrastructure, health, industrial operations, responsible AI, literacy, and more. Hosted by the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii), it serves as a platform for diverse perspectives to converge and shape a positive future for artificial intelligence.

Upper Bound 2025 is Amii's annual artificial intelligence conference, held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, bringing together researchers, industry, and policymakers. The conference focuses on accelerating AI excellence and innovation for good, emphasizing AI for critical infrastructure, health, industrial operations, responsible AI, and AI Literacy.