Optical systems are ubiquitous in modern society, with an ever-increasing number of applications covering medical sciences, spatial exploration, information processing and industry, to name but a few examples. In this context, David presented his work on machine learning enhanced optical forces calculations at PHOTOPTICS 2022 between the 10th and the 11th of February. The conference took place online and it was the perfect opportunity to learn from other scientists and discuss the relevance of optics for the study of active matter systems.