2024: Is AI Ever Safe? Health, Well-Being, and Predictive Machines
Does AI make us healthier?
In our digital world, how are young Canadians affected by emerging technologies?
Join us to explore these questions with our distinguished experts.
The Economics, Philosophy and Political Science Department in UBC Okanagan’s Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences presents the next Roger W. Gale Symposium in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
Is AI Ever Safe? Health, Well-Being, and Predictive Machines
October 10, 2024, 4:30-8pm | Innovation Centre Auditorium
In mid October, the annual Roger Gale Symposium will convene on another urgent topic of our times: Is AI Ever Safe? Health, Well-Being, and Predictive Machines.
AI-based technologies are increasingly part of the fabric of our lives: from their role in social media to the type of healthcare we receive. But is AI safe? Many are concerned about human well-being in the age of AI.
At this year’s Roger W. Gale Symposium, we tackle two areas of great significance: the use of AI in health contexts, and the effect of AI on youth.
Panel 1: Does AI make us healthier? (4:30-6pm) Moderator: Dr. Madeleine Ransom
AI is transforming health research and care. It is changing the way professionals diagnose and treat patients, how we access care, and opening up new possibilities in preventative medicine. While people stand to benefit from many of these innovations, these technologies also introduce new risks. This panel convenes a diverse group of experts to discuss how people’s health and wellbeing can remain at the centre of the equation in the face of AI. Some of the questions that may be addressed include: How do we implement such technologies without dehumanizing and isolating those requiring care? How can we prevent algorithmic bias from harming already marginalized communities? What steps should we take to safeguard people’s privacy and sensitive medical data? How can we integrate AI in a public healthcare system?
Speakers: Susan Feng Lu, Julie Robillard, Charlene Ronquillo, Karly Gula
Panel 2: Growing up digitally: How are young Canadians affected by emerging technologies? (6:30-8pm) Moderator: Dr. Wendy Wong
To what extent is the wellbeing of younger generations affected by emerging technologies? What does it mean to have been born a “digital native” in a world defined by online connectivity, instant information, and smart devices? Although there are prominent voices deriding the effects of youth connectivity (including some calling for a ban on smartphones for kids), others have developed technologies to help younger generations navigate the interweaving of their digital-analog realities. This panel will explore different views on the positives and negatives of the online generations, how their experiences put them at odds with older generations, and why this matters for the future of Canada’s AI development.
Speakers: Eric Meyers, Christopher Priebe, Yumi Sakamoto, Kate Tilleczek
Tickets are free but registration is required.
Speaker Bios
Panel One:
Susan’s research interests mainly concern how information problems affect individual behavior and the organization of firms and markets, especially the structure of those industries related to health care. Using empirical methods and machine learning, my current research focuses on three lines concerning information and reputation.
Julie is an Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of British Columbia and Scientist in Patient Experience at BC Children’s & Women’s Hospitals. She leads the Neuroscience, Engagement and Smart Tech (NEST) lab within Neuroethics Canada, where her research program evaluates the benefits and harms of current and emerging technologies that support brain health across the lifespan, and develops novel, emotionally-aligned tools to assist people with brain health conditions in living their best life.
Charlene is a Filipina Scholar, Registered Nurse, and health informatician whose program of research focuses on health informatics, nursing, and health equity, underpinned by critical theory and implementation science.
Karly is a Data Science expert with past roles as Head of Data Science in Health Tech and Biotech companies architecting and executing differentiating data and AI strategies for tech companies. Karly has also worked in health economics consulting, a global macro hedge fund, and as a research economist for a D.C.based think tank.
Panel Two:
Eric is an Associate Professor at the School of Information at the University of British Columbia, where he teaches and conducts research on the information practices of young people in academic and everyday contexts. A former K-12 teacher, school librarian and technologist, Eric consults with a wide range of institutions and professionals regarding information services, youth programming, learning spaces, and technology-enriched curricula.
Christopher has been building and safeguarding online communities for 25 years. He built the early safety systems for Club Penguin and then Disney Online. He founded Two Hat Security which became the world leader in online safety – protecting over 1 trillion human interactions a year. After being acquired by Microsoft he worked in the new field of large language models and safety. He is now creating a new social media platform to allow kids to tell short stories with world changing meaning at inspire.fans
Yumi is a social psychologist. Her research centers around the development of safe and ethical technology for everyone. strive to design systems that are intuitive, user-friendly, and accessible to all. This approach ensures that the technology we create not only meets the needs of diverse users but also adheres to the highest standards of safety and ethical considerations.
Kate is a Professor who holds the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Youth, Education & Global Good in the Faculty of Education at York University. She is founder and Director of the Young Lives Research Laboratory (YLRL). The objective is to better understand how youth navigate their socioecological wellbeing in contemporary contexts (e.g. ecological degradation, digital technologies, climate change). She leads the Youth in the Digital Age project, is an Advisor to the new Digital Futures for Children research centre and is director of Canada’s Digital Wellbeing Hub.
About the Series
The Roger W. Gale Symposium in Philosophy, Politics and Economics is a regular event that focuses on a current issue overlapping with the multiple disciplines within our department. It is meant to bring various parts of the academy and the public together into fruitful dialogue with a range of experts.
What: The war in Ukraine, the authoritarianism which motivated it, and its implications for the future of democracy and peace in the world.
Who: Diverse expert panel
Guest speakers included: Norman Naimark (historian, Stanford University), Barbara Falk (political scientist, Royal Military College of Canada), Adam Jones (political scientist, UBC), Marco Sassoli, (international human rights lawyer, Geneva University), Stephen Turner (philosopher, USF), Serhy Yekelchyk (Ukraine area studies – University of Victoria) and Seva Gunitsky (Associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto).
What: Should we limit individual freedoms to stabilize the climate? Can we stabilize the climate without such restrictions?
Who: Diverse expert panel discuss if individual choice should be restricted to preserve the climate.
There is no reasonable doubt that the collectivity of individual human decisions has substantially changed the global climate, and on its current trajectory, the rate of change is accelerating. The impacts of this change are being seen around the world as wildfires, heat waves, torrential rains and powerful storms. The more heat-trapping gasses are added to the atmosphere, the further the climate will change and the greater the risk that the climate system tips into a new and substantially different state. A state that will seriously disrupt all ecological systems – within which human systems are embedded – on the planet.
Each of us has a range of choices available that have differing impacts on other people and the global environment.
The goal of this symposium was to explore if individual choices should be constrained for some so that the global climate system can be stabilized.
Guest speakers included:
- Michael Ignatieff, Professor in the History Department at Central European University, former politician.
- Andrew Weaver, Professor in the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria.
What: Is there a vaccine for the infodemic?
Who: Diverse expert panel on how we can combat misinformation while preserving free speech
Sometimes it seems as though the world is spiralling out of control as unreflective thinking, mistrust, fake news, and conspiracy theories wreak havoc. In the last year, the impact of misinformation reached epic proportions during the pandemic and the American election. Authoritarian regimes engaged in information warfare with ever more sophisticated tools and greater reach. Meanwhile, social media platforms came under fire by many for not doing enough to counter misinformation, and by others for undermining free expression with a heavy-handed overreaction.
To stave off the negative impacts of misinformation, we first need to understand it. The good news is that researchers from across the disciplines have begun to make real progress. The goal of this symposium was to bring together eight leading voices from this effort to help us understand and counter the threat.
Guest speakers included:
- Timothy Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, a Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health, and Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta.
- Renée DiResta, Research Manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory, a Staff Associate at the Columbia University Data Science Institute, and is a Founding Advisor to the Center for Humane Technology.
- Dan Gillmor, co-founder of the News Co/Lab at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
- Heidi Tworek (PhD Harvard University), associate professor of international history and public policy at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
What: Humans, machines and the future of work
Who: Experts in public policy, higher education and international business
Technological progress is significantly changing the world of work. A new wave of disruption is impacting traditional jobs, industries and business models. Canadians are increasingly employed in non-traditional industries, working flexible hours and using technology to change the way they work.
The goal of this symposium was to explore what influence the continuing march of technology, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) will have on where we work and how we work, and where we fit in an automated world.
Guest speakers included:
- Paulina Cameron, author of bestselling Canada 150 Women
- Taylor Owen, professor of digital media and global affairs at UBC’s Vancouver campus
- Sunil Johal, policy director at the University of Toronto’s Mowat Centre
- Alexandra Matesscu, ethnographer and researcher at the Data and Society Research Institute
What: Symposium on Nuclear North Korea: Implications for Canada and the Region
Who: Canada’s former ambassadors to Korea and China, and several experts on the region
On the margins of the international community for decades, North Korea has been pursuing and ramping up a nuclear program and has made direct threats toward the United States. The most recent threat came in November when the country claimed to have successfully tested a new type of international ballistic missile that could reach North America, a claim that US-based experts confirm is supported by their data.
Heightened rhetoric from Leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump have made frequent headlines around the world, leaving many people concerned about what appears to be an increasing threat, and unsure what is hype and what is reality.
The daylong symposium brought together six experts to discuss the nature of the threat, the historical context, the competing geopolitical interests in the region and what role Canada should play.
Speakers at this event included: Sven Jurschewsky, former Senior Counselor, Canadian Foreign Service in China; David Chatterson, Canada’s Ambassador to Korea (2011-2014); Gunn Kim, Consul General of the Republic of Korea; Scott Snyder, Council on Foreign Relations, Washington, D.C.; Jenny Town, US-Korea Institute, Johns Hopkins University; and Donald Baker, Professor of Korean History, UBC Vancouver.
The discussion examined how people can better assess what they see in the media on international politics and diplomacy.
The day included three sessions:
- Historical context: How did we get to where we are today? Analyzing previous negotiations and engagement with the regime and their outcomes.
- Geopolitical interests and responses: What are the core interests of the main players in the region and the international community and how are they pursuing those interests?
- What should we learn from this situation? What are the implications for Canada?
Support
This symposium series is made possible through the generous support of Roger W. Gale.
Now living in West Kelowna, Roger holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as degrees from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and the School of International Service, American University. Roger has had a diverse career, ranging from teaching at the university level to strategic consulting with global electric power companies. Roger remains active on the boards of two equity funds in the US and he continues his interest in post-secondary education.