I was honored to speak to about 500 attendees this July in Northwestern’s Thought leadership series. The topic was Ethical AI. My goal was to help give some context on where AI is heading, how we got here, and some of the considerations we need to make in order to begin educating businesses and students on how to use this tool. The cultural and environmental impacts of AI were also considered. But as Tech has been largely immune from these topics (they are only tools after all) we’re now seeing them as more than just a “hammer” or an arcane automatic process.
Generative AI is special, it has emergent behaviors that we’re not yet prepared for. My analogy? AI is an amplifier. If you’re trying to play the guitar, it may take years to be able to make sounds people would want to. hear. But get an electric guitar and some pedals, and you may have more fun and keep it up longer. You may or may not make anything worth hearing, but consider it a boost that can help you along your journey.
Feel free to enjoy the video, this link may be more cooperative: