BERKELEY ARTS & LETTERS: Possible Minds: Twenty-Five Ways of Looking at AI

Berkeley Arts & Letters presents a panel discussion on the future of artificial intelligence and the nature of human existence.

Please note: This event is ticketed, and will take place at Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St., Berkeley. Tickets, including discounted book bundles, are available in advance here. Unless otherwise noted here, general admission tickets will be available at the door.

Advances in artificial intelligence have forever altered the way we live — from Alexa in your living room to autonomous vehicles and drone warfare — and AI is poised to define the coming decades for better or worse. Tech giants, including Google and Facebook, are engaged in an AI arms race, while Elon Musk, the late Stephen Hawking, and other thought leaders have warned that unsupervised, self-improving machine learning poses a major threat to society. So where is AI headed next, and how will this rapidly emerging technology impact our world?

In Possible Minds: Twenty-Five Ways of Looking at AI, science world luminary John Brockman has assembled twenty-five of the most important scientific thinkers to discuss the groundbreaking opportunities and potential dangers that AI presents. The result is an unparalleled round-table examination of the mind, thinking, intelligence, and what it means to be human.

Joining us for an evening of conversation are four Bay Area contributors:

–  Chris Anderson: former EIC of Wired; cofounder and CEO of 3DRobotics.
–  Anca Dragan: UC Berkeley professor; cofounder of the prestigious Berkeley AI Research Lab.

Leading the panel is Possible Minds editor John Brockman, founder of the powerhouse international literary and software agency Brockman, Inc. as well as the publisher of Edge.org, an online salon that the Guardian has called the worlds smartest website.

Please join us!

“Pithy essays on artificial intelligence. . . . Readers . . . will not find a better introduction than this book.” – Kirkus

“While the [Possible Minds] authors disagree on the answers, they agree on the major question: what dangers might AI present to humankind? Within that framework, the essays offer a host of novel ideas. . . . Enlightening, entertaining, and exciting reading.” – Publishers Weekly

Please note:

– Duration of event is subject to authors’ preference.

– Signing and additional details coming soon.

– This event is all ages. RSVP is appreciated but not necessary.

– Accessibility is important to us! If you have special needs of any kind, please write events AT booksmith DOT com and we will do our best to accommodate you.

– If you can’t attend the event but would like to request a signed copy of Possible Minds, and/or any of the authors’ books, order below and put your request in the comments field.