Sandro Spina
Lecturer
University of Malta
Data & AI Track
Session Outline:
Beyond the Prompt: Where Are Large Language Models Taking Us?
Large Language Models have moved rapidly from research labs into everyday tools, changing how we create, search, learn, code and interact with technology. But beneath their impressive capabilities are important questions about how these models actually work, where their limitations lie, and what the next generation of language models might look like.
Moderated by Bernard Montebello, Head of Malta’s European Digital Innovation Hub at the MDIA, the panel brings together Prof. John Abela, Prof. Carl James Debono and Dr Sandro Spina from the University of Malta. Drawing on expertise spanning AI, machine learning, computer science, computer vision and advanced computing, they will explore the evolution and future of LLMs. The discussion will consider whether continued increases in model size and computing power will keep delivering meaningful improvements, the potential of alternative architectures and specialised models, and key questions around reasoning, reliability and efficiency, separating genuine technological progress from hype.
About Sandro
Dr Sandro Spina is a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Malta. He obtained an MSc in Computer Science, specialising in machine learning through grammatical inference, in 2004, and a PhD from the University of Warwick’s School of Engineering in 2015.
His research spans computer graphics, artificial intelligence, distributed computing, and serious games. His work in computer graphics has addressed scalable point-cloud processing and semantic scene segmentation, particularly for the digital documentation of cultural heritage sites. His more recent research includes real-time and high-fidelity rendering, cloud-based and distributed global illumination, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, photon mapping, and caustic rendering. He has also contributed to research in reinforcement learning for real-time strategy games, simulation-based training, and virtual-reality experiences that connect physical and digital environments.
Sandro has supervised numerous MSc and PhD research projects, contributed to funded research and creative technology initiatives, and teaches across programmes offered by the Faculty of ICT and the Institute of Digital Games. He serves on several academic boards and committees, currently chairs the Faculty Doctoral Committee, and previously chaired the Faculty Research Ethics Committee.
