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Socrates Japan, Nara 2019

Held in partnership with the Aspen Institute – Japan, the Socrates Nara Seminar will take place from December 6-8, 2019. Socrates international seminars include three seminar sessions, program meals, and local excursions/tours. Seminar tuition is $3,000, which includes lodging, materials, meals, and an excursion in Nara. Tuition does not include travel.

Order Amid Chaos: Major Trends Shaping the Future of Technology, Business and Society

Artificial intelligence (AI) is radically changing life on earth. Everything we do, from raising families to running businesses to governing huge societies in currently being reshaped by these technologies. What are the most important coming changes and how can we prepare for them? How is AI altering the workplace and the roles humans play in it? We’ll examine the rise of what some are calling “surveillance capitalism” as the dominant business tech model, and consider its broader political and social implications. Finally, we’ll consider the humanistic questions that these technologies are bringing to the fore. Are we on the path to a better world or have we gone down a dark alley? Are we losing touch with the qualitative, spiritual aspects of existence that make life worth living? Some believe that we can endow AI with human values and ideals that will ensure this revolution goes to a good place. Is this a realistic endeavor or a quixotic dream?

Moderator: William Powers, Research Scientist at MIT Media Lab and best-selling author of Hamlet’s Blackberry.

Event information
Date
Fri Dec 6, 2019 - Sun Dec 8, 2019
Location
Nara, Japan