Date:
| Where | Online: https://www.harvard.com/event/virtual_event_kate_darling/ |
| When | May 11, 2021 @7:00PM |
| Organization/Sponsor | Harvard Division of Science, Harvard Library, and Harvard Book Store |
| Speaker(s) | Kate Darling (MIT Media Lab) and Rana el Kaliouby (Affectiva) |
| Cost | free |
| Contact Info | science_lectures@fas.harvard.edu |
There has been a lot of ink devoted to discussions of how robots will replace us and take our jobs. But MIT Media Lab researcher and technology policy expert Kate Darling argues just the opposite, and that treating robots with a bit of humanity, more like the way we treat animals, will actually serve us better. From a social, legal, and ethical perspective, she shows that our current ways of thinking don’t leave room for the robot technology that is soon to become part of our everyday routines. Robots are likely to supplement—rather than replace—our own skills and relationships. So if we consider our history of incorporating animals into our work, transportation, military, and even families, we actually have a solid basis for how to contend with this future.
A deeply original analysis of our technological future and the ethical dilemmas that await us, The New Breed explains how the treatment of machines can reveal a new understanding of our own history, our own systems and how we relate—not just to non-humans, but also to each other.
_____________________________________________________________________
Dr. Kate Darling is a leading expert in Robot Ethics. She’s a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, where she explores the emotional connection between people and life-like machines, seeking to influence technology design and policy direction. Kate graduated from law school with honors and holds a doctorate of sciences from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) and an honorary doctorate of sciences from Middlebury College. Her work has been featured in Vogue, the New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Guardian, the BBC, WIRED, and more. She is the caretaker for several domestic robots, including her Pleos Yochai, Peter, and Mr. Spaghetti.
Rana el Kaliouby is a pioneer in Emotion AI, Co-Founder and CEO of Affectiva, and the author of the newly released book Girl Decoded: A Scientist’s Quest to Reclaim Our Humanity by Bringing Emotional Intelligence to Technology. A passionate advocate for humanizing technology, ethics in AI and diversity, Rana has been recognized on Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list and as one of Forbes' Top 50 Women in Tech. Rana is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and a Young Presidents' Organization member, and co-hosted a PBS NOVA series on AI. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge and a Post Doctorate from MIT.
For more information and videos of Harvard Science Book Talks, see https://science.fas.harvard.edu/book-talks