IEEE Educational Events

Is the Algorithm Plotting Against Us?

Is the Algorithm Plotting Against Us? 1728 2304 ieeeeduweek

Discover the long-term impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on our world! Join us for an insightful event where we’ll explore the revolutionary changes brought about by AI and its potential consequences. Our special guest speaker, Kenneth Wenger, will share his expertise from his groundbreaking book.

 

Artificial intelligence is everywhere—it’s in our houses, phones, and cars. AI makes decisions about what we should buy, watch, and read, and it won’t be long before AI’s in our hospitals combing through our records. Maybe soon it will even be deciding who’s innocent and who goes to jail.

In Is the Algorithm Plotting Against Us? A Layperson’s Guide to the Concepts, Math, and Pitfalls of AI (February 2023; Working Fires Foundation) AI expert Kenneth Wenger deftly explains the complexity at the heart of artificial intelligence. He celebrates the elegance and ingenuity of AI algorithms—and you don’t need a computer science degree to follow along.

“The purpose of this book is to explain how AI works at a level of detail that makes these algorithms accessible to a general audience,” Wenger writes. “Why should you get involved in the discussion if you are not a scientist? Because each of us can influence our collective future. You have the ability to influence policy every time you go out and vote. The public can decide what areas of research should get more attention. You will be better served by understanding how these systems work and what we realistically need to worry about rather than making an emotional decision based on uninformed sensationalist ideas.”

Is the Algorithm Plotting Against Us?

Is the Algorithm Plotting Against Us? 150 150 ieeeeduweek

Discover the long-term impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on our world! Join us for an insightful event where we’ll explore the revolutionary changes brought about by AI and its potential consequences. Our special guest speaker, Kenneth Wenger, will share his expertise from his groundbreaking book.

 

What will be the long term impact of artificial intelligence on our world? In the history of humanity very few revolutions have changed, literally, everything. If we think back to the late 18th century, the industrial revolution changed the way we traveled and the way we worked. In more recent memory the personal computer revolution of the 1960s and ‘70s changed the way we conducted business. It enabled better methods of communication and distribution. Later, the advent of the internet and social media had a profound impact on the way we communicate, behave, consume information, and decide who and what we trust. The revolution that is currently underway is artificial intelligence (AI), and it is different from anything we have ever seen. It is the most disruptive revolution we have experienced; in some very material ways the disruptions have already begun. While experts continue to push the technological boundaries, the public is left to navigate the haze of polarizing information where either semi-religious acceptance or abject rejection of the technology seem like the only possibilities. The purpose of this talk is to disperse the fog of confusion and describe the core concepts of AI’s poster child: the artificial neural network. In this talk we will discover how neural networks work, and what makes them tick. Once we are familiar with what they are, we can discuss what makes them useful, and what makes them dangerous. Is the hype warranted? Does AI represent a portal to great discoveries, advancement and prosperity, or as some skeptics caution, does it spell our doom? Our goal is to demystify artificial intelligence and provide an honest critique of its capability, its triumphs, and its failures, as well as provide a path for ethical decision-making. How do we decide what is a good use case for AI, and what makes a bad use case? To answer these questions, we must begin with some basic understanding of artificial neural networks.

 

Each event attendee receives a coupon for a 40% discount when they order a copy of the book ” Is the Algorithm Plotting Against Us? | Working Fires” from the publisher’s website.