BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//132.216.98.100//NONSGML kigkonsult.se iCalcreator 2.20.4// BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20250730T041854EDT-6961SgpR2p@132.216.98.100 DTSTAMP:20250730T081854Z DESCRIPTION:Date: Tuesday\, June 10th 2025\n Hours: 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM\n Loca tion: ɬ﷬ Downtown Campus\, Leacock Building\, room 110. See map here. \n\n \n\nThis event is open to the public.\n\nRegister Here\n\nA shared re sources site for Anthropos Technicus readings and other resources has been set up on the Discord app. Please join us!!\n\n\nSeries Description \n\nT his series will delve into the ethical and societal implications of artifi cial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies that call into ques tion conventional distinctions between human beings and machines. By explo ring thought-provoking books and films\, we aim to foster engaging discuss ions and critical thought about the impact of technology on our lives. Eac h session will focus on a specific work\, using it as a springboard to dis cuss contemporary issues and concerns. \n\nSession 4: A Brief History of I ntelligence\n\nOverview: Max Bennett’s A Brief History of Intelligence: Ev olution\, AI\, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains (2023) take s us on a journey from the earliest life forms to modern humans\, identify ing five evolutionary leaps that gave rise to and shaped human intelligenc e. By drawing parallels to AI’s development\, Bennett challenges us to con sider what happens when machines begin to replicate—or surpass—human cogni tion.\n\nJoin us as we explore Bennett’s insights into the nature of intel ligence\, the ethics of building AI\, and the societal implications of a w orld where the line between human and machine blurs. We’ll discuss how thi s evolutionary lens informs contemporary debates about AI’s role in our fu ture\, touching upon themes such as what constitutes intelligence\, the re sponsibilities of AI development\, the potential impacts of AI surpassing human capabilities\, achieving a balance between AI as collaborator versus rival\, and the influence of human values on AI. Time permitting\, we wil l also discuss the ethical quandaries presented by the burgeoning field of organoid intelligence.\n\n\n Our dialecticians will provide key excerpts a nd context. \n Prior reading of A Brief History of Intelligence by Max Benn ett (2023) is recommended but not required. \n The book is available in pri nt or e-book from your favorite bookstore or library. \n A short slide pres entation will introduce the book’s themes and spark discussion. \n Please n ote\, a private recording of the session may be taken for note-taking purp oses only and will not be posted publicly. \n\n\nThis session is open to a ll\, and no prior knowledge of the book or AI is required!\n\n\nOur Dialec ticians:\n\nDr. Sue Laver  \n\nInaugural director of the ɬ﷬ Writing Ce ntre and former SCS Associate Dean\, Academic and Faculty Affairs\, Sue is a Frankenstein devotee. Her interest in Frankenstein began when she first watched her now longstanding favourite “Frankensteinian” film Blade Runne r upon its theatrical release in 1982. A lecturer for many years in ɬ﷬ ’s Department of English\, Sue has guided hundreds of students through Fra nkenstein’s philosophical complexities and its afterlife in popular cultur e\, with emphasis on the metaphysical and ethical status of the Monster an d its technological descendants. \n\nDr. Nabil Beitinjaneh\n\nBusiness Str ategist and AI/ML/Analytics Expert. Faculty Lecturer @ the ɬ﷬ School o f Continuing Studies\, focused on adult learners who want to upskill\, gui ding learners on their journey to become AI-savvy change-makers. Nabil is engaged in leadership\, strategy and organizational development through ev ents\, training\, and his service with non-for-profit organizations. He is an Ambassador for TechAide which supports Centraide of Greater Montreal a nd the president of Le centre culturel syrien.\n\n\nSign up for our fifth session today!\n\nBlade Runner - More Human than Human?\n\nJuly 8th 2025\n \nThis event is a collaboration between the ɬ﷬ School of Continuing St udies\,  the ɬ﷬ Computational and Data Systems Initiative and the McGi ll Collaborative for AI & Society.\n DTSTART:20250610T223000Z DTEND:20250611T000000Z LOCATION:Leacock Building\, CA\, QC\, Montreal\, H3A 2T7\, 855 rue Sherbroo ke Ouest SUMMARY:Our Tech\, AI and Society Dialogues: A Brief History of Intelligenc e - Evolution\, AI\, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains URL:/cdsi/channels/event/our-tech-ai-and-society-dialo gues-brief-history-intelligence-evolution-ai-and-five-breakthroughs-365558 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR