Canterbury Christ Church University’s 2022-23 Public Lecture Series begins next month with a talk by the UK’s first artificial intelligence (AI) Skills Champion and a world leading computer scientist - Dame Wendy Hall.
AI is set to transform society in the coming decades in ways that have long been predicted by science fiction writers. While AI is still a long way from being as powerful as the human brain, many machines can now outperform human beings, particularly when it comes to analysing large amounts of data. This will lead to many jobs being replaced by automated processes and machines. As with all major technological revolutions, such advancements bring with it unexpected opportunities and challenges for society with a need to consider the ethical, accountability and diversity impacts.
Dame Wendy is Regius Professor of Computer Science, Associate Vice President (International Engagement) and an Executive Director of the Web Science Institute at the University of Southampton. She was co-Chair of the UK government’s AI Review, which was published in October 2017and in May 2020 was appointed as Chair of the Ada Lovelace Institute.
In her lecture, From AI (Artificial Intelligence) to Eternity, she will discuss trends in AI and their implications for society including national strategies, geopolitical pressures, data governance, and future scenarios. She will lay out why we need to take a socio-technical approach to every aspect of the evolution of AI in society, to ensure that we all reap the benefits of AI and protect ourselves as much as possible from applications of AI that might be harmful.
The event takes place on the University’s Canterbury campus on Thursday 22 September.
The series continues in November when comedian, writer, actor and Honorary Doctorate of the University, Jo Brand will take to the podium as guest speaker. More speakers will be announced soon.
All Public Lectures are free to attend, but booking is required. To find out more about the 2022-23 Public Lecture Series, sign-up for alerts and to book your place, visit our Public Lecture webpages.
Dame Wendy Hall’s lecture, From AI (Artificial Intelligence) to Eternity, takes place on Thursday, 22 September, 6 - 7pm, in Old Sessions House (Michael Berry Lecture Theatre), Longport, Canterbury, CT1 1NX. The lecture will be followed by a short Q&A with Dame Wendy Hall.