Understanding AI: A Talk for Curious Minds

 Artificial intelligence has moved from being a research topic and a great lure for dystopian movies to a technology permeating our daily lives, arriving at a rate much faster than anyone predicted. This talk will be a grounded, evidence-based look at the foundation of modern AI technology, where things stand, and where the research is headed. We'll see live demonstrations of what AI can do, explore why it excels at some tasks and should be avoided for others, as we look honestly at successes and failures. We'll examine real costs and concerns, including environmental impact and effects on how students think and learn, alongside genuine breakthroughs, such as uses in software development, medicine, and research. We'll also discuss simple ways you might use AI in your own life, from managing your calendar to your retirement portfolio, letting you decide for yourself how it might fit for you.

Brian R. King is an associate professor of computer science at Bucknell University, where his research focuses on machine learning for sequential data and time-series forecasting, and most recently, downscaling AI models. He teaches Applied Machine Learning, Deep Neural Networks, and a new course he developed on Design and Development for Extended Reality (XR), and leads the department's senior capstone course. Brian has been a driving force behind Bucknell's AI curriculum strategy, co-leading the design of both the university's Interdisciplinary minor in artificial intelligence and a proposed bachelor’s degree in AI. He also co-led the creation of Bucknell's Dominguez Center for Data Science (DCDS), where he served as one of its first faculty fellows and has led multiple AI-focused workshops. He is currently co-leading the creation of a new App Makerspace -- a partnership with the Perricelli-Gegnas Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and DCDS -- where students of any background may learn to build their own apps with AI. Before Bucknell, he spent over a decade as a senior software engineer and engineering manager at an environmental Research and Development company.