Between the University of Washington, a thriving tech community, and strong research institutions, like the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI2), many of the rapid developments in AI are playing out in Seattle. Perhaps that’s why the White House has selected the Emerald City for its first public workshop on artificial intelligence.
The Office of Science and Technology Policy will co-host the first of four events on artificial intelligence at the University of Washington May 24. The workshop, put on by the UW’s Tech Policy Lab and School of Law, will explore issues such as policy, logistical applications, and safety, as they relate to AI.
Speakers include AI2 CEO and UW Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Oren Etzioni, White House Deputy U.S. CTO Edward Felten, Microsoft Principal Researcher Kate Crawford, and other industry experts.
The workshops are intended “to spur public dialogue on artificial intelligence and machine learning and identify challenges and opportunities related to this emerging technology,” writes Felton in a White House blog post.
The three subsequent events will be held in Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, and New York City.
The UW event, taking place from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the School of Law, will be free and open to the public. Etzioni will kick off the workshop with an overview of the current state of AI. Following Etzioni’s remarks will be two panels — one on AI decision-making in the private and public sectors and another on logistics of implementing intelligent machines in government operations.
Etzioni recently shared insights on the current state and future of artificial intelligence on GeekWire Radio.
“Automation has consistently impacted jobs both by enabling outsourcing and offshoring and so on,” he said. “I do think we need to, now, start discussing and studying the impact of AI in the labor force. I think that is an important discussion.”
Registration and more details on the UW event are available here.
