April 2, 2024
Obvia, Mila and IVADO, present the “Interdisciplinary Dialogues” collection, a new series of publications crafted to foster interdisciplinary exchanges on the societal impacts of AI.
This innovative format showcases the insights of experts hailing from diverse disciplines — each offering unique perspectives — tasked with delving into the pressing issues surrounding the societal impact of artificial intelligence (AI). The goal? To catalyze critical reflections on matters crucial to our evolving societies.
The first issue in this series on the major risks of generative AI arises from an event in August of 2023 spearheaded by Yoshua Bengio, Scientific Director of Mila and IVADO, full professor in the Department of Computer Science and Operations Research at the Université de Montréal, and a world-renowned researcher in deep learning.
Concerned about recent developments in generative AI and the major risks they pose for society, Mr. Bengio invited experts and specialists to a public discussion aimed at initiating a collective, interdisciplinary reflection on these issues. The speakers were then invited to provide concise answers to questions raised during the event.
This first document brings together responses from Yoshua Bengio, as well as Caroline Lequesne (Université Côte d’Azur), Hugo Loiseau (Université de Sherbrooke), Jocelyn Maclure (McGill University), Juliette Powell (entrepreneur, consultant and author in the field of technology and AI), and Sonja Solomun (McGill University). Presented in an engaging Q&A format in both French and English, these texts offer a rich tapestry of perspectives, unveiling the multifaceted impacts of AI on our ever-evolving world.
The next event in this series will take place on May 31, 2024 in Quebec City, featuring keynote speaker Octavio Kulesz. A philosopher, digital publisher, and entrepreneur, Mr. Kulesz specializes in issues related to cultural diversity and cultural industries in the digital age. In 2020, he was selected by UNESCO, along with 23 other international experts, to draft the text of the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, the world’s first standard-setting instrument on this subject.
Stay tuned for further details on this upcoming event.
Quote:
“Technology exerts a major influence on society, yet we can control its impact by actively participating in debates and setting ethical boundaries. This new series aims to pool diverse knowledge and perspectives not in the quest for consensus, but to enrich a collective reflection on how we can mitigate the risks associated with the development of AI.” – Lyse Langlois, CEO of Obvia.
For further information:
Flavie Halais
Communications advisor
flavie.halais@obvia.ca
Sandra Estrela
Communications advisor
sandra.estrela@ivado.ca
