Alyosha Efros

For most of its existence, computer science in general, and visual computing in particular, has been primarily focused on algorithms, with data treated largely as an afterthought. Only recently, with the advances in AI, did our field start to truly appreciate the singularly crucial role played by data. But even now we might still be underestimating it (e.g. the word "data" is missing even in Sutton's famous "Bitter Lesson" essay). In this talk, I will begin with some examples illustrating the importance of large visual data for visual analysis and synthesis. I will then share some of our recent results showing how paying attention to data can bring about better understanding of the models and even better performance.