Dreams & Nightmares in the Empire of AI – examining systems of power and AI development, prospects for democratic governance and data sovereignty, and AI in service of the public good.

The Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience & Philosophy welcome keynote speaker Karen Hao to speak about "Dreams and Nightmares in the Empire of AI". AI is upending the planet in real time, and its path of unchecked development threatens to erode democracy and return us to an age of empire, where a small group of companies dictates our future. It doesn’t have to be this way, says Karen Hao, a Silicon Valley engineer-turned-award-winning-journalist. Karen’s epic and urgent book Empire of AI—an instant New York Times bestseller called a “heroic work” by Shoshana Zuboff (The Age of Surveillance Capitalism)—is the culmination of her years of insider access to OpenAI and her original reporting, spanning five continents. TIME, which named her to their list of the 100 most influential people in AI, writes that “Hao is fundamentally shaping many people’s perceptions and understanding of the company at the center of the AI revolution.” In captivating keynotes, packed with hard-won insights, Karen assembles the fullest picture yet of the most consequential tech arms race in history. She shows us just how thoroughly AI will alter society, and, more importantly, what role we can all play in actively shaping AI so that it benefits everyone. “The way we develop technology is now fundamentally broken,” Karen says. “But I truly believe that we can fix it.” Read more about Karen Hao here.

This event is free and open to the public, made possible by the James T. & Ella Rather Kirk Fund.

Read more about the "Living Well with  AI" Symposium Lecture Series here.

This is a hybrid event — Attend in person or virtually. Keynote speaker Karen Hao will join us live virtually.

To register for the livestream webinar, visit: https://agnesscott.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Z6mYOW5HTdGPiVco2R7sUA