AAAS 2016 - Artificial Intelligence: Imagining the Future

Saturday 13 Feb 2016, 15:00 → 16:30 US/Eastern

Marshall Ballroom North (Marriott Wardman Park)

We are in the midst of a revolution in machine intelligence: the art and engineering of getting computers to perform tasks that, until recently, required natural intelligence -- in other words, people. We can speak to our phones, software can identify faces, and algorithms can teach themselves to play Atari video games. Top-of-the-line sedans have the ability to drive autonomously on the open road. Progress has been driven by machine learning techniques, such as deep convolution networks, dating to the 1980s, by Moore’s law, and by continual improvements in machine architecture. Progress is so dizzying that a few futurists, technologists, and philosophers have publicly mused about where the swift ascension of machines is taking us. In this session, leaders from different sectors imagine a few of these different utopian and dystopian futures. The discussion will be framed by an overview of the current state-of-affairs in AI and the science of consciousness.

• Organizer/Moderator Maria Spiropulu, California Institute of Technology

15:00 → 15:20 The Technology of (Artificial) Intelligence

The talk will discuss the phenomenal progress of artificial general intelligence inspired by the brain as a source of algorithms and architectures such as grid cells used for navigation, or hierarchical cell layers for vision processing. Some examples of systems that demonstrate AI will be given along with a projection of how AI can be used to solve big science questions in the future.

Speaker: Demis Hassabis (DeepMind, London, United Kingdom)

Paper nature16961.pdf

15:25 → 15:45 The Science of Consciousness

The talk explores the relationship between the brain, behavior, and consciousness, that is the ability to experience anything. The talk will summarize what is known about the biology and neurology of consciousness, outline the limits to our knowledge, and discuss the extent to which digital machines can or cannot be conscious.

Speaker: Christof Koch (Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA)

Slides Koch_AAAS_updated_'16.key

Slides Koch_AAAS_updated_'16.pdf

15:50 → 16:05 HUM∀NS : The Art of the Science and Technology of Artificial Intelligence and Consciousness

From real humans to HUM∀NS the British-American science fiction television series tests consequences of artificial intelligence & consciousness.

Speakers: Jonathan Brackley (Kudos) , Samuel Vincent (Kudos)

text AAAS_Humans_Talk_by_JB_&_SV.pdf

16:05 → 16:30 Round Table/ Q&A