Creating artificially intelligent machines may be the biggest event in human history. According to Stephen Hawking, “it might also be the last.” And we’re getting closer to that day. From Watson and Siri to the driverless car, machines are getting progressively smarter. The next step: creating truly intelligent machines that learn, not by being programmed for a task, but by trial and error. The potential benefits—and the potential risks—are enormous. With leaders in the fields of artificial intelligence, quantum engineering, and neuroscience, this salon probed the technical, economic, and philosophical impact of the AI revolution.
The World Science Festival’s annual salon series offers in-depth conversations with leading scientists, extending the discussion of the Festival’s premier public programs to graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and well-informed members of the general public.
This program is part of the Big Ideas Series, made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation.
Photograph: Jon Smith
