Seminar on "SMALL IS THE NEW SMART: HOW SMALL LANGUAGE MODELS WILL SHAPE THE FUTURE OF AI"

A seminar titled "SMALL IS THE NEW SMART: HOW SMALL LANGUAGE MODELS WILL SHAPE THE FUTURE OF AI" was successfully conducted, jointly hosted by the Seminars, Workshops, and Programmes Committee of the OPA and the Engineering Guild of Sri Lanka (EGSL). The event took place on February 9, 2026, at the OPA Auditorium, bringing together professionals, academics, and industry enthusiasts to explore the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence.

The seminar featured Dr. Lahiru Ariyasinghe, a renowned data science expert from Axiata Digital Labs, as the chief guest speaker. Dr. Ariyasinghe provided in-depth insights into Small Language Models (SLMs), highlighting their efficiency, scalability, and potential to revolutionize AI applications across various sectors. The session emphasized the growing importance of adopting lightweight yet powerful AI models that can operate with limited computational resources while delivering robust performance.

Attendees also had the opportunity to engage in discussions about the future of AI, its practical applications, and how SLMs could reshape technological innovation. The event concluded on a warm note with a networking dinner, providing a platform for participants to exchange ideas, foster collaborations, and strengthen professional connections within the AI and engineering community.