— Microsoft President Brad Smith thinks the tech industry needs to be careful about new advances and think mindfully about how they’re possibly changing the world in a negative way. This is the topic of his book, Tools and Weapons, co-written with Carol Anne Browne. Smith will be talking with GeekWire reporter Monica Nickelsburg on Sept. 20 at Town Hall in Seattle about his book and advances that should be monitored closely, such as artificial intelligence.
— What exactly does it mean to be human? It’s not a question most of us think about often, but the rise of artificial intelligence is causing some to reevaluate the answer. The Pacific Science Center is hosting Thought Experiments on Sept. 27-29. This festival features four performances that are the result of a collaboration between the Infinity Box Theater Project and the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence.
Here are more highlights from the GeekWire Calendar:
- Space Entrepreneurship Founder Challenges: Attorneys from Davis Wright Tremaine will discuss various challenges of starting a company in the space industry at Davis Wright Tremaine in Bellevue; 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 26.
- Founders Live Seattle: Five local startups pitch their companies in 99 seconds at Spaces Seattle; 6 to 9 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 26.
- The Keys to Unlocking a Job in Tech: A presentation on hiring practices and how applicants can use them to their advantage at General Assembly in Seattle; 6 to 8 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 26.
- MINECON Live Party: An event celebrating all things Minecraft in preparation for MINECON at the University Village Microsoft Store in Seattle; 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28.
- Curator’s Choice Tour: Curators from the Living Computers Museum + Labs will show attendees some of the exhibits in-depth; 1 to 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28.
- Love Notes to Newton: A screening of the film Love Notes to Newton at the Living Computers Museum + Labs in Seattle; 2:30 to 5 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28.
- Developing Dynamic People Leaders: A workshop for team and company leaders at Impact Hub in Seattle; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday, Oct 1.
- Podcasting from Square One: A presentation about the tools and technology needed to start a podcast at General Assembly in Seattle; 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1.
- Cascadia Innovation Corridor Conference: A two-day conference about ways to maximize innovation in Cascadia at The Westin in Seattle; Wednesday, Oct. 2 and Thursday, Oct. 3
- Gary Marcus: Building Artificial Intelligence We Can Trust: A talk by author Gary Marcus discussing his book Rebooting AI at The Forum at Town Hall in Seattle; 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 2
