Artificial Intelligence: The risks, the rewards, the realities

Panel Discussion

In a dynamic discussion, our trailblazing AI panel will delve into artificial intelligence as a catalyst for tackling global challenges. Join us as we explore society's grasp of AI, its boundless possibilities, and the nuanced landscape of its potential benefits and risks.

President and Vice-Chancellor Bill Flanagan will host the energizing talk to dig deeper into this topic. Attendees can even submit their own questions!

The President’s Speaker Series shares the impact of university research on our society — seeking to solve problems and generate change for the greater good of our communities. Will you help shape the conversation?

Get your tickets today

The President’s Speaker Series shares the impact of university research on our society — seeking to solve problems and generate change for the greater good of our communities. Will you help shape the conversation?

About the Speakers

Faith Majekolagbe

Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law
Advising national governments on a range of matters related to intellectual property and development, Majekolagbe will be sharing her expertise surrounding intellectual property law and technology law. She will discuss the role of laws in AI governance and help deepen our understanding of IP laws' roles in AI development and AI ethics.

Faith Majekolagbe, an Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta Law Faculty and a Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society Associate at Harvard University, specializes in intellectual property and technology law and is igniting global discussions with her research on copyright's role in knowledge access, innovation and UN Sustainable Development Goals. As a 2022/2023 Fellow at the Berkman Klein Center, she uses her expertise to deepen understanding of copyright and public interest, including its intertwining with artificial intelligence and digital education.

Patrick M. Pilarski , ’09 PhD

Associate Professor in the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta
A pioneer of next-generation bionics, Pilarski will share his insights on crafting smart artificial limbs that empower those with limb differences (including arm and hand amputations). Hear his fascinating perspectives on human-AI interaction, the unification of human and machine, and how AI will supercharge our natural and acquired strengths in both medicine and everyday life.

Pilarski is an Associate Professor at the U of A, and also a distinguished Fellow and Board of Directors member at the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii). He's the driving force behind the AI work within the Bionic Limbs for Improved Natural Control (BLINC) Laboratory, propelling innovations that enhance human-machine interaction. His expertise encompasses a diverse array of research interests, spanning reinforcement learning, AI decision making, real-time machine learning, and intelligence amplification. Pilarski's leadership extends to the forefront of assistive technology through the Amii Adaptive Prosthetics Program, where he empowers lives through cutting-edge rehabilitation technology and assistive robotics.

Martha White, ’08 BSc (Hons), ’10 MSc, ’15 PhD

Associate Professor of Computing Science at the University of Alberta

Listen in as Martha White shares her experience in adaptive machine systems, particularly energy efficiency through low-level optimization. Her approach makes human decision making so much easier, removing the need for sensory monitoring and fine-grained system refinements. Better tools empower people, but White will explain that in any automation, it's vital it benefits everyone and not just a few.

As an associate professor at the U of A and a PI at Amii, a global machine learning hub, White is a leader in the AI world. Holding the Canada CIFAR AI Chair and recognized with the prestigious IEEE "AIs 10 to Watch: The Future of AI" award in 2020, White is making monumental contributions. She's authored over 50 papers in top AI journals and conferences, serving as an associate editor for TPAMI and taking leadership roles in prominent AI and ML conferences like ICLR, ICML, NeurIPS, AAAI, and IJCAI. Her research focuses on crafting algorithms for agents to learn continuously from data streams, emphasizing representation learning and reinforcement learning.

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