AI and Humanity: A Critical Exploration

Wasaga Beach Lifelong Learning and Wasaga Beach Public Library are thrilled to announce an exciting new Lecture Series designed for adult lifelong learners eager to delve into intellectually stimulating topics with academics and experts. Our Fall 2024 two-part series, offered free for its inaugural year, promises to ignite informed and meaningful discussions.

Emerging AI technologies have advanced rapidly, surpassing previous expectations by about 30 years. This rapid growth has forced experts to prioritize studying the risks and developing plans for regulating, legislating, controlling, containing, and even stopping potential negative effects as we move into an uncertain future.

In this inaugural lecture, Dr. Christopher DiCarlo will present the basics of Artificial Intelligence (AI), covering key terms, concepts, current usage, and issues, as well as exploring the ongoing developments in the AI universe.

We will examine both the promising benefits and potential harms these new technologies may bring to humanity. AI technology holds almost limitless potential, from medical miracles to advancements in education, increases in efficiency and automation, and wondrous new scientific discoveries. However, it’s crucial to recognize that AI could also present risks and generate harm—either intentionally or unintentionally. These risks could arise from misalignment with human values or misuse by individuals, corporations, or even countries. By applying critical thinking and ethical reasoning, we can better discuss how we want these new technologies to affect our lives as we move into the uncertain future.

Books by Dr. DiCarlo will be available for purchase ($30/softcover & $40/hardcover – cash or e-transfer only).

About the Speaker:

Dr. Christopher DiCarlo is a philosopher, educator, and author. He is the Principal and Founder of Critical Thinking Solutions, a consulting business for individuals, corporations, and not-for-profits in both the private and public sectors. He currently holds the position of Senior Researcher and Ethicist at Convergence Analysis, a UK-based organization focusing on AI Risk and Governance.

Dr. DiCarlo is the Ethics Chair for the Canadian Mental Health Association and a lifetime member of Humanist Canada. He is also an Expert Advisor for the Centre for Inquiry Canada. He frequently teaches in the Department of Biology at the University of Toronto (Mississauga) and at The Life Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University. Dr. DiCarlo is a past Visiting Research Scholar at Harvard University in the Department of Anthropology and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. He has received several awards, including TV Ontario’s Big Ideas Best Lecturer in Ontario Award and Canada’s Humanist of the Year.

Dr. DiCarlo has spoken at numerous national and international conferences and authored many scholarly papers on topics ranging from bioethics to cognitive evolution. His best-selling book, How to Become a Really Good Pain in the Ass: A Critical Thinker’s Guide to Asking the Right Questions, celebrated its 10th anniversary with a 2nd edition release. His latest book, So You Think You Can Think? Tools for Intelligent Conversations and Getting Along, was published in June 2020 by Rowman and Littlefield Publishers. His upcoming book, Building a God: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and the Race to Control It, is set to be released in 2024.

Dr. DiCarlo also hosts the podcast All Thinks Considered, where he engages in free and open discussions about current, important issues with world thought leaders, politicians, and entertainers through the lens of Critical Thinking and Ethical Reasoning.