Description:

Within the tech industry's rapidly evolving landscape, "AI" has become shorthand for nearly every major technological shift happening today. Much has been made of its promise—or failure—to support the skills we've developed and long relied on, and how it aligns with the human-centered goals of product design, technology, and business. However, like the internet before it, AI emerged not through grand design, but through scale, experimentation, and unintended consequences. And, like the internet, it's arriving faster than we're prepared to make sense of it.

In this webinar, Michael Dain, user experience design expert and MS in Information Design and Strategy faculty member, will offer a grounded, unsentimental look at how AI has captured public imagination and what people misunderstand about its influence. Drawing from his podcast Surviving AI and other writings, Dain will explore the separation of machine performance from human meaning, and how this technology, despite its uncertainty, might reshape education, business, and creative work in the years ahead.

This event is part of the Northwestern University SPS Thought Leadership Series, a program of online events featuring a wide range of compelling topics and thoughtfully led conversations throughout the 2024-25 academic year.

Date: Wednesday, July 23
Time: Noon to 1 p.m. CT
Location: Online (Zoom)
       *A link to join the webinar will be shared with event registrants the day of the event.

If you have any questions regarding this event, please email Beena Khan at Beena.Khan@northwestern.edu.