Through the Lens: Artificial Intelligence

About the Series

As humanists, we’re interested in promoting human well-being and flourishing through evidence-based and scientific approaches. Members of our community have diverse perspectives and experiences that help us grow and think individually and collectively. Through the Lens offers us an opportunity to come together and discuss pertinent topics or current events through the lens of humanism.

Not a humanist, but interested in AI? Join us!

You don’t need to be a humanist to join us for this conversation. Our conversation is richer when a variety of perspectives and experiences are presented.

If you’re unfamiliar with humanism, here’s a quick overview: Humanism emphasizes the use of critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning for understanding the world and solving problems. It places a strong emphasis on human well-being, ethical behavior, and compassion. It advocates for expanding participatory democracy and the growth of an open society, standing for human rights and social justice.

This Month’s Topic: Artificial Intelligence

Will artificial intelligence lift humanity to new heights or amplify our worst tendencies? It’s hard to understate the potential AI holds to transform society and how we go about our daily lives – for better or for worse. For our inaugural “Through the Lens” event, we’re looking at artificial intelligence through the lens of humanism. During this discussion, we’ll explore the current state of AI, the significant limitations and challenges of AI, and how it could be used to advance human well-being and flourishing. We’ll end the conversation focusing on what individuals and groups can do to nudge AI development in a direction that promotes equity and contributes to well-being and flourishing.

What to Expect

Through the Lens is designed to foster a collaborative learning environment where participants can share their experiences and perspectives. We aim to create a space to foster mutual learning, trust, respect, and active engagement among participants.

Our Collaborative Learning Event will follow this structure:

• Welcome
• Introductions
  • Are you using AI-powered tools?
  • Are you generally optimistic or pessimistic about AI’s ability to improve human well-being?
• Building a Shared Understanding (roughly 20 minutes)
  • The 6 Subsets of Artificial Intelligence
  • Popular AI Tools
    • ChatGPT
    • AI Writing Assistants
    • AI Photo Generators
    • AI for Business
    • AI in the Military
• Open Conversation
• Synthesizing What We’ve Learned
• Wrap-Up

To help create this space, both organizers and participants agree to abide by our Code of Conduct.