Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Exploring the Opportunities and the Threats

We have been inundated recently with news about new uses of Artificial Intelligence. We are told AI has the potential to change the social, cultural, and economic fabric of the world, just as television, cell phones, and the internet incited mass transformation in prior decades. Generative AI developments like ChatGPT will create new opportunities that humanity has yet to envision – as well as threats to jobs and our existing way of doing things. We will begin with a simple introduction to AI – its abilities and limitations. We will then embark on an examination of some of the areas of rapid AI development: search engines, marketing, speech/image creation, medical diagnosis, dispensing justice, education, autonomous driving, national defense. We will discuss and debate the pros and cons of the use of AI in these fields, as well as the question of if and how we could regulate its development and implementation. We will use no text, as AI is developing so rapidly. Instead we will use up to the minute online resources and articles. This study group is designed for all participants; however participants will be expected to fully participate in researching topics, interacting with websites and AI applications, and discussing/debating the pros and cons each week. Join us for an exciting look into the future. This 11 week study group will begin on September 26.