Artificial Intelligence (AI) promises to make improvements to our lives in so many ways, including enhancing efficiencies in the workplace, generating productivity gains and having a positive impact on our wellbeing.

It also promises to help with even bigger issues like uncovering criminal activity and solving crimes, dramatically influencing healthcare, addressing global challenges, and reducing global inequities and extreme poverty.

AI promises to have a far-reaching beneficial impact in our society. This evokes not only excitement but also fear. There are fears around privacy, trust, freedom of speech and the usage of AI and its regulation.

The 2020 Gibbons Memorial Lecture Series will discuss the fears and excitement of AI today and in the future, and the impacts it could have both on and in our society.

Lecture One: 

There’s been dramatic progress in learning skills, such as object recognition, translation and speech, and in difficult but uncomplicated tasks like playing chess, Go and video games. Traditional AI focused on improving complex tasks, using knowledge and reasoning, that have driven human success.

In this talk, Professor Michael Witbrock from the School of Computer Science at the University of Auckland will discuss these paths to broad AI and explore Aotearoa’s potential to make sure of a positive outcome.

Michael Witbrock is a Professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Auckland. He is an expert in Broad AI.


For more of our audio and visual content, check out our YouTube channel, or head to the University of Auckland’s manuscripts and archives collection.

Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in this lecture reflect the views of the lecturer and not necessarily the views of The Big Q. 

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