EA Ghent: Powerful AI is coming. How do we get it right?
As AI progress continues to accelerate, within a decade we humans may no longer be the smartest "species" on our planet. At a minimum, the next couple of years are going to get profoundly weird.
Should we be excited? Worried? Both?
Join us for an evening with Thomas Van Damme, AI governance researcher at Brussels-based think tank Centre for Future Generations, for an accessible deep-dive into:
What's happening with AI - What's the state of play? What new developments are we seeing?
What the risks are - Why are Nobel laureates and other prominent researchers sounding the alarm?
What's being done about it - What do AI Safety and AI Governance actually entail, and is there anything you can do to help / prepare?
Find out why Thomas decided to devote his career to "making sure AI goes well", and whether he thinks we're on track. No technical background needed — just curiosity and a willingness to engage with one of the most important issues of our time.
It will be a casual evening at the UGent's Green Hub (UFO building); we'll provide a bar and plenty of space to mingle. Expect about an hour of presentation, after which we'll open up the room for questions and conversation over drinks. We look forward to hosting you!
Doors open at 19:30 for drinks and mingling. We start promptly at 20:00. If you'd like to drink something, please bring cash; all proceeds will go to one or more of the Effectief Geven charitable funds.
Interested? Reserve a spot — space is limited.
Updates:
Due to high demand, we've moved the event out of our usual living room setting to the UGent's Green Hub.
Unfortunately our second speaker has had to cancel due to family commitments. Don't worry, Thomas has more than enough to say on the topic ;)
This event is part of a quarterly series hosted by Effective Altruism Ghent (you might remember our recent evenings on effective giving and how to use your career as a force for good!).
Effective altruism is a global movement that asks a simple question: How can we use our time, money, and resources to help others as much as possible? Rather than just doing what feels good, effective altruists aim to do what does the most good using reason, evidence, and compassion.
EA Ghent is part of Effective Altruism Belgium, a nonprofit building a community of people dedicated to tackling the world's most pressing problems.
Learn more at eabelgium.org, join our WhatsApp community to meet others in the movement, or subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay updated on events, opportunities, and EA news.