Description:

What happens when AI stops just answering questions and starts taking action?

We're entering an era where intelligent agents aren't science fiction anymore. These autonomous AIs can reason, decide, and act independently. They book your flights, write code, manage tasks, and even build new tools. Yet for all the hype, today's agents still stumble in unpredictable ways.

Drawing from their podcast Surviving AI, Northwestern faculty member Michael Dain and senior AI architect Jack Brzezinski will explore:

- What agentic AI actually means (and why you've likely already used them),
- Why generative AI is only the beginning,
- How close (or how far) we really are from Artificial General Intelligence,
- The messy reality of reasoning, memory, and goal alignment in real-world AI systems.

Whether you're curious, skeptical, or just tired of hearing the same AI headlines, this webinar will unpack where we are, what's coming next, and why it matters for designers, technologists, educators, and everyday users alike.

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, August 27
Time: Noon to 1 p.m. CT
Location: Online (Zoom)
     *A link to join the webinar will be shared with event registrants the day before the event.

If you have any questions regarding this event, please email Melanie Galván at melanie.galvan@northwestern.edu.

Featured Speakers:

Michael Dain: User experience design expert and MS in Information Design and Strategy Faculty Member at Northwestern University

Jack Brzezinski: Senior AI Architect at University of California, San Diego