HOW IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TRANSFORMING AMERICA?

This is the livestream registration option for a series ticket for Osher at Dartmouth members.

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a document drafted during a gathering of delegates from each American colony, who debated principles and ideas related to a new phase of government and self-determination. The Declaration states in its second paragraph, “We hold these truths to be self-evident…” 

This year is also the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Dartmouth summer research project, in which a small group of scientists gathered to study the conjecture that every aspect of learning or any other feature of intelligence can, in principle, be so precisely described that a machine can be built to simulate it. It was during this conference that the term “Artificial Intelligence” (AI) was first used.  

As our nation speeds into a new era of technological advancement, we are struggling with questions about truth and the influence of AI. No longer confined to research labs or Silicon Valley startups, AI has become a ubiquitous partner in our daily lives, summarizing information, generating images and text, supporting scientific breakthroughs, assisting with legal and medical research, and accelerating problem-solving in fields as diverse as climate science, economics, engineering, and the arts. Conversely, the high energy and water demands of its data centers, the fear of job displacement, ethical concerns regarding creative properties, and the potential erosion of privacy through surveillance and information access are issues that generate a sense of unease as this technology embeds itself deeper into our daily lives. Of utmost concern is the fact that AI has also become a tool used in the proliferation of disinformation and “deep fakes,” which can subvert our understanding of reality. What happens when truth is no longer “self-evident?”

AI has the potential to become a practical tool worth understanding, as well as a confounding puzzle when it comes to detecting truth. This year’s Summer Lecture Series will feature presentations by six experts across a wide range of fields, who will provide clarity, context, and confidence to anyone—novice and expert alike—in seeking to understand the benefits and challenges of Artificial Intelligence.