Artificial Intelligence Seminar with Neil Jacobstein, Queenstown
In April this year, we held a thought provoking seminar on the opportunities and risks of Artificial Intelligence (“AI”).
The seminar was moderated by one of our board members, Neil Jacobstein, who is an an Aspen Crown Fellow, experienced seminar moderator, and leading authority on AI.
AI is over 60 years old, but in the past five years, it has exploded into the news and major media. This seminar addressed the factors leading to the recent successes of AI and machine learning and provided examples of economic and medical opportunities, and the social risks associated with AI and privacy, autonomous systems, and potentially democratic institutions.
The prospects are real for AI producing unprecedented business opportunities and innovative solutions to humanity’s largest problems, such as climate change, epidemic diseases, extreme poverty, illiteracy, and emergency response. However, there are now widespread concerns about the downside risks of job displacement, data bias, surveillance, disruption of businesses and democratic institutions, and even the possibility of AIs becoming misaligned with human intentions.
Not just a seminar or series of lectures, it was a moderated in-depth discussion enhanced by a grounding in values-based readings. During the day two critical themes were examined:
What is AI and Why Does it Matter?, and
Managing the Benefits and Risks of Artificial Intelligence.
These are not issues with neat technological solutions. Rather, they require informed and thoughtful deliberation about tensions between social values such as liberty, equality, community, and efficiency. The objective was not to reach consensus on these issues, but to deepen the appreciation of the opportunities, risks, and tradeoffs in all of their 360 degree complexity.
This is what some of our attendees had to say:
“ Thank you, I have learnt a lot! Amazing level of participant contributions, and outstanding moderator. What an environment! ”.
Prof Tamyko Ysa, Alumni Aspen Spain / Visiting Professor Victoria University, School of Govt, Prof. Dr. of Strategy and Public Management, ESADE.
“Never before have I experienced the polished quality and depth of knowledge of a moderator. I was somewhat caught off-guard, the group was inspirational”. Tom Butler, GM Blanket Bay.
“ Reflecting on the seminar, I realised how much more informed I was as a result. While the format was new to me, and perhaps uncomfortable for some at the start, I can now see why it is so important – in contrast, I often find at board meetings that directors often “spar” across the table that only results in entrenchment of their positions, whereas being effectively forced to listen to what other parties have to say can have the opposite effect and is more likely to result in a sound decision”.
Jane Taylor, Director The Aspen Institute New Zealand.
“This is fantastic. Rarely, do I get the chance to hear so many business and personal views from outside of university life”.
Prof James Maclaurin, University of Otago, Co-director of the Centre of Artificial Intelligence and Public Policy, Professor of Philosophy and Associate Dean (Research) Humanities.