| More than 600 innovators, scholars and educators recently came together in a gathering co-hosted by Elon University and RTI International to explore our relationship with artificial intelligence systems. Here are some of the highlights of the Human Edge conference:
James Boyle, professor of law and founder of the Center for the Study of the Public Domain at Duke University, discussed the far-reaching implications of his book “The Line: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Personhood.” He argued there is a strong possibility that AI systems will eventually be given legal rights:
“My hope is that we capture a faint sense of wonder—that finally there are entities that plausibly could lead us to think that one day we might greet another intelligent entity, another entity that worries about where to draw the line on this planet. And in that moment, there is surely a sense of wonder.”
Erich S. Huang, head of clinical informatics at Verily (Google’s life sciences subsidiary) and chief science and innovation officer for Unduo/Verily called for the application of real intelligence in medical systems.
“We should stop calling it artificial intelligence. What we need is real intelligence — intelligence that is ethical, embodied, and human. … The real challenge in healthcare isn’t just identifying problems; it’s changing human and institutional behavior.”
I shared new findings from a public opinion survey of U.S. adults covering public views about the impact of AI on key human capacities and attributes. The bottom line of this poll: Many Americans expect AI to have a significant negative impact on essential human capacities and behaviors such as social and emotional intelligence, analytical thinking and agency 2035. This material added to the findings on these same issues in an extensive report from the Imagining the Digital Future Center on expert views about being human in the AI Age. And the slides from my presentation are here.
One of the main goals for the day was to start the process of creating a long-term research agenda about the evolution of humans and AI systems at the intersection of:
- AI’s potential impact on education, workforce, and labor
- Human agency and creativity
- People’s mental and physical health and well-being
- AI governance and democracy
Several dozen breakout groups created fresh and strong research ideas that the RTI and Elon teams will be shaping into a regional research agenda. Much of that work will be explored by the knowledge institutions in the Research Triangle area.
Leaders from those organizations discussed at the conference a broad range of AI research and implementation initiatives that are already underway at their institutions: Ganesh Bora (Fayetteville State University), Penny Gordon-Larsen (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Siobahn Day Grady (North Carolina Central University), Melissa Hodge-Penn (North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University), Rachel Levy (North Carolina State University), Sherine Obare (University of North Carolina at Greensboro), Michael Pencina (Duke University) and Mike Williams (National Humanities Center).
I’ll have updates as this work progresses.
Finally, special thanks to the people instrumental in organizing and running the conference: Elon President Connie Book, RTI President Tim Gabel, Brian Southwell and Katie Bowler Young. |
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