Talk Explores Future, Possible Dangers of AI
Two Westmont computer science professors will offer a holistic understanding of artificial intelligence (AI), explore promising new developments and expose lurking dangers in a Westmont Downtown Lecture, “A Human Approach to AI: Understanding Its Promises and Perils,” on Thursday, March 27, at 5:30 p.m. at the Community Arts Workshop, 631 Garden St., in downtown Santa Barbara. The talk is free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations required. Free parking is available on the streets surrounding CAW or in nearby city parking lots. For more information, please call (805) 565-6051.
“We’ll explore AI’s deep roots in the 75-year history of computing, demystify the mechanisms behind its seemingly incomprehensible abilities, and examine key breakthroughs that have fueled the explosion of generative AI innovations,” says Guang Song, professor of computer science.
“The talk will establish a framework for critically evaluating the impact of AI on human lives — as both a tool of empowerment for extraordinary achievements and a force that risks undermining human dignity through its underlying biases and resulting harms. We’ll discuss how to best engage ethically with its accelerating influence,” says Mike Ryu, assistant professor of computer science.
Song taught computer science for 16 years at Iowa State University before coming to Westmont in 2022. He earned a doctorate at Texas A&M University and has focused his research on computational biology, exploring how proteins move, studying their molecular mechanical systems, and classifying their various shapes. His research received the NSF CAREER award.
Ryu earned a Bachelor of Science in software engineering and a Master of Science in computer science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo before working at a for-profit corporation in the San Francisco Bay Area. He serves with Westmont’s Center for Applied Technology (CATLab) during the summer as the director of engineering for the mobile and AI development teams.
The Westmont Foundation sponsors Westmont Downtown: Conversations About Things That Matter, a free lecture series, as well as the annual Westmont President’s Breakfast.