MIT Generative AI Week promotes interdisciplinary dialogue

Faculty, staff and students from across MIT attended in late November MIT Generative AI Week. The program included a full-day flagship symposium in addition to 4 subject-specific symposiums, all aimed toward fostering dialogue about the probabilities and potential applications of generative artificial intelligence technologies across a wide range of disciplines.

“These events reflect our belief that MIT has a special responsibility to assist society come to grips with the tectonic forces of generative AI – understanding its potential, mitigating its risks, and harnessing its power for good use,” MIT President Sally Kornbluth said in an email announcing the week of programming early this fall.

Activities during MIT Generative AI Week, Many of them might be viewed on YouTubeincluded:

MIT Generative AI: Shaping the Future Symposium

The week began with a flagship symposium, MIT Generative AI: Shaping the Future. The day-long symposium included welcoming remarks from Kornbluth in addition to two keynote speakers. The morning’s keynote speaker, Professor Emeritus Rodney Brooks, co-founder of iRobot, former director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), and founder and CTO of Robust.AI, spoke about how robotics and generative AI intersect. The afternoon’s keynote speaker, renowned media artist and director Refik Anadol, discussed the interplay between generative AI and art, including approaches to data shaping and digital architecture in our physical world.

The symposium included panels and panels on topics resembling generative AI fundamentals; science fiction; generative AI applications; and generative AI, ethics and society. The event ended with a performance by saxophonist and composer Paul Winter. It was chaired by Daniela Rus, Andrew (1956) and Erna Viterbi Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) and director of CSAIL, and co-chaired by Cynthia Breazeal, MIT dean of digital learning and professor of media arts and sciences, and Sertac Karaman , Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Director of the Information and Decision Systems Laboratory.

“Another Body” screening

The first day of MIT Generative AI Week ended with a special screening of the documentary “Another Body.” The SxSW Special Jury Award-winning documentary follows a student’s seek for answers and justice after she discovers deepfake pornography of herself circulating online.

After the screening, there was a panel discussion with the film’s editor, Rabab Haj Yahya; David Goldston, director of the MIT Washington Office; Catherine D’Ignazio, associate professor of urban science and planning and director of the Data + Feminism Lab; and MIT junior Ananda Santos Figueiredo.

Generative AI + Education Symposium

Used by MIT’s prolonged community of college, research staff, students, and colleagues, the Generative AI + Education Symposium featured thought-provoking keynotes, panel discussions, and live demonstrations on how generative AI is transforming the educational experience and teaching practice from K-12, post-secondary education and workforce training. The symposium included a hearth chat titled “Will generative AI transform learning and education?” in addition to sessions on learning experiences, teaching practices, and massive ideas from MIT.

This half-day symposium concluded with an innovation presentation, where participants were invited to interact directly with demonstrations of MIT’s latest research and ingenuity. The event was co-chaired by Breazeal and Christopher Capozzola, senior associate dean for open learning and professor of history.

Generative AI + Health Symposium

The Generative AI + Health Symposium highlighted AI research focused on human health and the health of the planet. Presentations highlighted advances in molecular design and sensor applications to enhance human health, in addition to work to enhance climate change predictions, increase efficiency in mobility, and develop recent materials. A panel discussion with six researchers from across MIT examined the expected impact of AI in these areas.

This half-day symposium was co-chaired by Raffaele Ferrari, the Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Oceanography within the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences and director of the Atmospheres, Oceans and Climate Program; Polina Golland, Sunlin and Priscilla Chou Professor within the Department of EECS and principal investigator at CSAIL; Amy Keating, Jay A. Stein Professor of Biology, professor of biological engineering and head of the Department of Biology; and Elsa Olivetti, Jerry McAfee (1940), Professor of Engineering within the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Associate Dean of Engineering, and Director of the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium.

Generative AI + Creativity Symposium

At the Generative AI + Creativity Symposium, faculty experts, researchers and students at MIT explored questions that look to the long run and picture a world wherein generative AI-powered systems and techniques improve the human condition. Topics explored included how combined human and AI systems could make more creative and higher decisions than either system alone; how lifelong creativity, fostered by a brand new generation of tools, methods and experiences, will help society; imagine, explore, and implement a more joyful, artistic, meaningful, and just future; the way to make AI readable and trustworthy; and the way to engage an unprecedented combination of diverse stakeholders to encourage and support creative pondering, expression and numeracy that empower all people.

The half-day symposium was co-chaired by Dava Newman, Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics and Director of the MIT Media Lab, and John Ochsendorf, Class of 1942 Professor, Professor of Architecture and Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Founding Director of the MIT Morningside Academy for Design.

Generative AI + Impact on Commerce Symposium

The Generative AI + Impact on Commerce Symposium examined the impact of AI on management practice. The event included a curated group of researchers from MIT; policymakers are actively working on laws to be sure that AI is utilized in a way that’s fair and healthy for the patron; enterprise capitalists investing in cutting-edge AI technology; and personal equity investors trying to leverage AI tools as a competitive advantage.

This half-day symposium was co-chaired by Vivek Farias, the Patrick J. McGovern (1959) Professor on the MIT Sloan School of Management, and Simon Johnson, the Ronald A. Kurtz (1954) Professor of Entrepreneurship on the MIT Sloan School of Management Management.