19th Annual Bissell Grogan Symposium

In this interactive session, we will introduce several concepts and provide students a launching point to learn more about AI, answer some misconceptions, and demonstrate (in real time) how AI can be used to accomplish a wide variety of tasks. We’ll demonstrate how you can use AI for improvised meal planning, to plan our fantasy football teams, to create a Taylor Swift website, and more!

 

This interactive workshop will explore how AI is changing our world and why we should think carefully about how we use it. We will first examine how AI systems actually work by introducing the concept of a "neural network" algorithm and showing how it can mimic different processes in the human brain. Then, we will explore how these brain-inspired algorithms are rapidly changing our society. A significant portion of our discussion will center around AI in facial recognition technology – its advancements, capabilities, and the ethical questions it raises. Is it always good to push for more and more powerful AI systems? What are the consequences when AI gets it wrong? Building on these conversations, we will discuss practical steps for how students interested in AI, psychology, or neuroscience can explore these topics and take steps toward careers in these exciting fields that will continue to transform our world.

 

This workshop will trace the evolution of filmmaking technology from its origin through today. We will discuss the impact of innovation on creativity and think about what potential AI can bring to the art form in the future.

 

In the past few years, we have witnessed a surging debate on the relationship between AI and human creativity. Many experts and practitioners have asked whether machines can truly be creative or if they are, in fact, merely reproducing human artifacts in a mechanical way. Some have started questioning the very essence of creativity and knowledge as purely human features. While the discussion on machine creativity is still open for debate, in this workshop we will explore the relationship between AI and the Arts by asking: what does AI know about the Arts? We will take as a case study a Fine Arts collection and look at how state-of-the-arts machine learning algorithms perform on digitized archival records - drawings, prints, paintings. The students will be asked to actively participate in this evaluation process, by choosing a preferred artifact from the digital repository and testing a pre-trained model for image classification. We will then collectively observe the results and discuss the outputs. By the end of the workshop the students will learn how to think critically about AI in application to cultural heritage, and gain understanding of the practice of curating digital records in collaboration with machines.

 

Learn how AI tools are revolutionizing news reporting, enhancing efficiency, and enabling in-depth analysis. You will also delve into the ethical challenges AI poses, including misinformation risks and algorithmic biases. This session will also tackle the responsible use of AI in journalism, highlighting its benefits and potential pitfalls. 

 

This workshop will consider the technology and trends with AI and how companies are using it to make hiring decisions, as well as the issues that come with this practice. We will also discuss the problems that come with using AI to both make hiring decisions and as a person looking for a job.

 

In this workshop, students will learn about how various types of AI writing tools work — from ChatGPT to Grammarly to Khanmigo, and more — and discuss the ways in which each might be used for different writing purposes. Students will debate the ethical implications of the use of AI in writing and can experiment with different AI tools in order to draft or refine their own writing.

 

Writers have gathered in formal and informal communities to share their ideas with one another and find inspiration for future projects. C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien met with friends and colleagues in a group they called “The Inklings.” Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein while on vacation with Lord Byron. Ernest Hemingway was essentially tutored by Gertrude Stein. AI can be your digital sounding board and inspiring friend in much the same way. In this session, we will learn how to harness the creative potential of AI to find new inspiration and work past writer’s block for both creative and analytical essays.