The AI Discussion Forum, at Oxford’s Saïd Business School
A three-part series on artificial intelligence and business
May 11: AI+productivity — May 18: AI+data — June 1: AI+management
The agenda and pre-readings are online here. Registration is here.
THERE IS A LOT of talk about artificial intelligence destroying jobs, if not mankind. I believe that’s nonsense. There’s no reason why life shouldn’t be greatly improved by the technology — and even more (and better) jobs* created. It is in our power to make it so.
But these issues are indeed very new, and there’s much that’s still undefined. It needs smarter thinking. Yet there’s no forum to bring together inquisitive minds from diverse backgrounds with a practical bent. Until now.
The Saïd Business School at Oxford has agreed to convene a three-part series of open-discussion forums on the implications of AI in three areas: productivity (Thursday, May 11), the scramble for data (Thursday, May 18) and algorithmic management (Thursday, June 1). More information about the sessions is here.
I’ll be the moderator and discussion facilitator — similar to the role I played at the World Economic Forum’s Global Council on Data and Development. (More about me is here.)
Attendees are not the audience: they are the discussants.
The events will begin with two short “salvo” talks by experts: muscular, novel ideas presented in about ten minutes each. Then, there’s an hour-long discussion among the roughly 80 people that the venue holds. Each session will have a “flight path” of themes — though deviating as per the spontaneous nature of a scintillating conversation is a feature not a bug.
Each session will have pre-readings: after all, only a fool would attend clueless about the topic. The evening will close with a drinks reception, to continue the conversation. A rapporteur will produce a synthesis of the discussions.
Saïd’s Entrepreneurship Centre has registration info ready for signups:
May 11th on productivity | May 18th on data | June 1st on management.
Details on the speakers and readings is here. In the meantime, email me if you’re interested at kn@cukier.com and I’ll ping you when the info is online.
And because I can’t resist:
* Nota bene: The British AI author Calum Chace criticizes my totalizing glibness about jobs. He’s right. It’s a serious matter that will require wise public policy if people in lots of industries are losing jobs all at once. But I am optimistic that we’ll invent more, better jobs for people.
