The Ethics of an Intelligent Future
With advances in the AI and machine learning industry happening so rapidly, creators in this space seem to be innovating faster than the rules can keep up. In the Intelligent Future Track, we’re fascinated with these creators who are pushing the limits of the technology that aids us in our everyday lives. We want to know just how far these technologies can be pushed – but we also need to be asking ourselves when technology has gone too far.
Join us during the SXSW Conference from March 8-14 for our longest running, tech-focused track. We’ve pulled out sessions that look at the ethics of this constantly innovating field and ask: just because we can do something, should we?
Intelligent Future Session Highlights
Ethics and Responsibilities in the AI and IoT Age
As technology gets smarter, the chance for that smart tech to invade our privacy and for cybercriminals and governments to increasingly surveil us grows exponentially. As a Soviet citizen and AVAST Security Ambassador, Garry Kasparov knows how governments can misuse their citizen’s information. In this session, he will talk with Ondrej Vlcek, EVP and CTO of AVAST, about the ethics in the place where AI and security intersect. Where is the line, and how can regulators and industry leaders protect people’s privacy?
Taming the Orwellian Surveillance State
Police technology is becoming more advanced - they have the potential to be extremely invasive, but also the potential to increase safety and eliminate bias. As the new ethical implications of these technologies are debated, the members of the first AI & Policing Technology Ethics Board are here to discuss how to responsibly utilize these new technologies without violating citizen’s privacy. Join Cristian Farias, Writer-in-Residence of Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Barry Friedman, Director of The Policing Project at New York University School of Law, Tracy Ann Kosa, Fellow at Stanford University, and Rick Smith, CEO and Founder of Axon Enterprise as they discuss how these new technologies can eliminate bias and discrimination in the justice system without infringing on personal freedoms.
JFK 2020: Could JFK be the NEXT American President?
It’s unethical to bring the dead back to life – or is it? Rothco made the campaign – ‘JFK Unsilenced’ – which enabled JFK to deliver the speech he was on the way to make the day he was assassinated. If AI is able to bring back the voice of political leaders from the dead, can it also bring back their decision making, morals, and policies – and where does it end? Could the political leaders of the future be made entirely from AI? Just because we technically could, should we? Al Byrnes, Executive Producer of Rothco/Accenture Interactive, led the ‘JFK Unsilenced’ campaign and will be asking: how do we establish the rules for AI and how it influences decision making?
AI Proxies: How to Train Your Algorithm
In the future we will all be able to train our own personal AI – so what will you do with yours? Will you use it to reflect yourself, will you teach it to be a better version of yourself, or perhaps you make it in the image of someone else entirely. As we invest more decision-making into algorithms, we have to consider the power and control they will have over our lives. Aleksandra Szymanska, Art Director of The Future Laboratory will be leading a session that seeks to have participants consider if they could give something with its own agency this much power over their lives.
How to Build a Brighter AI Future
After all the sessions questioning the future of AI, take a moment and look at the positive applications the future can hold. Join Google’s Cassie Kozyrkov, Cheif Decision Scientist, in a session outlining how to harness the potential of machine learning and AI. She’ll strip away the jargon and teach participants the AI basics to avoid the biggest threats and how to spot emerging opportunities. She will also discuss the next discipline badgeholders should be utilizing to improve business: decision intelligence engineering. This beginner session is meant for anyone, so before you pick up the tin foil hat and research going off the grid, come learn the AI and machine learning basics.
Check out other Intelligent Future sessions as well as other Keynotes and Featured Speakers like Bruce Sterling, Douglas Rushkoff, Jaron Lanier, Joanna Shields, and Charlie Duke, Gerry Griffin, Vanessa E. Wyche & Bobak Ferdowsi:
Browse More Intelligent Future Sessions
Enjoy primary access to all Intelligent Future Sessions as well as other Conference Sessions with a Platinum or Interactive Badge, and secondary access to most other events.
Crossover Track Recommendations
Learn more and unlock your badge’s full potential when you explore sessions on the other 25 Conference Tracks that relate back to Intelligent Future:
- The Future of AI in Blockchain | Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Track
- The Future of Robotics in Logistics | Entrepreneurship & Startups Track
- The Future of Wellbeing with Ubiquitous Sensing | Future Workplace Track
- Dear Gov't: Regulate Us! Sincerely, AI Industry | Tech Industry & Enterprise Track
- Reach Out and Touch Space | Experiential Storytelling Track
- AI and the Future of Journalism | Media & Journalism Track
- Adaptive Athletics: The Rise of the Super Athlete | Sports Track
- Ethics in the Age of Virtual Humans | VR/AR/MR Track
Attend SXSW 2019
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Get your SXSW Badge and reserve your hotel today to attend SXSW 2019 and experience these Conference sessions along with 10 days of screenings, showcases, exhibitions, networking, and more this March 8-17 in Austin, TX.
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Featured Image by Holly Jee
12/18/2018
