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Critical Tech Talk 1: Nicole Aschoff –ÌýThe digital frontier and its limits

Monday, NovemberÌý8, 2021, 5 PM |ÌýTheatre of the Arts, University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, in-personÌýand livestreamed |ÌýÌý

Artificial intelligence will take your job! Genetic engineering will accelerate the loss of biodiversity! The modern smart-city is a privacy disaster! Killer robots and technological progress are out of control! Is the techno-apocalypse upon us? Should we run for the exit? Or are there more nuanced ways to understand the complex interaction between technology and society and values?

ÌýJoin us on October 28 at 4pm,Ìýin-person or virtually via livestream, for Critical Tech Talk 4: !

Project Ploughshares is hosting a virtual workshop focused on Canada, the growing nuclear threat, and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

There are nearly 13,000 nuclear weapons in existence today. Each presents an existential, yet preventable, risk. Now is the time for decisive Canadian action toward nuclear abolition.

In 2002, Ghyslain Raza made a fun video of himself playing a Star Wars character. Later the video was posted on the internet without his consent.
It became the first viral video, with enormous consequences for Raza.
In 2022, Raza broke his silence to speak about his experience and reflect on its meaning today.
Join us in E5 6004 @ 7pm on Feb. 15 to watch this documentary as Raza revisits "The Star Wars Kid."

Free admittance!Ìý Free popcorn!

Join us for an urgent discussion on "surveillance capitalism", its threat to our information civilization, and how its trajectory undermines democratic norms and the centuries-long evolution of market capitalism.

Vinton G. Cerf, Internet pioneer and Vice President and "Chief Internet Evangelist" at Google, will speak about the history of the Internet, beginning with the Arpanet, then move along the terrestrial Internet trajectory. He will then present emerging policy and technical challenges and, finally, discuss the interplanetary Internet project.

His lecture is free, open to everyone, and takes place on Tuesday, June 11 at 2:30 p.m. in the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ's Humanities Theatre.

Event info:Ìý

Registration (free but required):Ìý

The documentaryÌýÌýwill be screened with a following panel discussion, Friday in the E7 event space (2nd floor). ÌýThe documentary is the visually stunning culmination of the Extreme Ice Survey project: an unprecedented 15-year photographic record of the melting glaciers around the world.

Admission is free. ÌýRSVP atÌýthe event site.

This event is part of the visit ofÌýDavid and Linda CornfieldÌýto the Systems Design Engineering department. ÌýDavid Cornfield is a À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Engineering graduate ('85), who went on to a successful career with Microsoft. ÌýDavid and Linda Cornfield turned their attention to philanthropy and environmentalism, choosing to support projects that will have great social and environmental impact.

Chatting Time is a follow-up to the documentaryÌýÌý(2012).

Join us to explore the impact of the Voluntary Code of Conduct on the Responsible Development and Management of Advanced Generative AI Systems. The code, introduced by the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Industry, aims to foster public trust in AI technologies, intending to accelerate adoption. This engaging panel discussion featuring education leaders, computer science researchers and industry experts will explore the broader implications of accelerating AI adoption beyond economic impacts.ÌýSpeakers will share insights hopes and concerns about the potential societal changes, ethical considerations and regulatory challenges that come with AI.

Admission free.Ìý Register at the Critical Media Lab website.