Our Tech, AI and Society Dialogues: A Brief History of Intelligence - Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains

顿补迟别:听Tuesday, June 10th 2025
Hours:听6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
尝辞肠补迟颈辞苍:听黑料不打烊 Downtown Campus,听Leacock Building, room 110.听.

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This event is open to the public.

A shared resources site for Anthropos Technicus readings and other resources has been set up on the . Please join us!!

Series Description听

This series will delve into the ethical and societal implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies that call into question conventional distinctions between human beings and machines. By exploring thought-provoking books and films, we aim to foster engaging discussions and critical thought about the impact of technology on our lives. Each session will focus on a specific work, using it as a springboard to discuss contemporary issues and concerns.听

Session 4: A Brief History of Intelligence

Overview:听鈥檚听A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains (2023)听takes us on a journey from the earliest life forms to modern humans, identifying five evolutionary leaps that gave rise to and shaped human intelligence. By drawing parallels to AI鈥檚 development, Bennett challenges us to consider what happens when machines begin to replicate鈥攐r surpass鈥攈uman cognition.

Join us as we explore Bennett鈥檚 insights into the nature of intelligence, the ethics of building AI, and the societal implications of a world where the line between human and machine blurs. We鈥檒l discuss how this evolutionary lens informs contemporary debates about AI鈥檚 role in our future, touching upon themes such as what constitutes intelligence, the responsibilities 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 will also discuss the ethical quandaries presented by the burgeoning field of organoid intelligence.

• Our dialecticians will provide key excerpts and context.听
• Prior reading of A Brief History of Intelligence by Max Bennett (2023) is recommended but not required.听
• The book is available in print or e-book from your favorite bookstore or library.听
• A short slide presentation will introduce the book鈥檚 themes and spark discussion.听
• Please note, a private recording of the session may be taken for note-taking purposes only and will not be posted publicly.听

This session is open to all, and no prior knowledge of the book or AI is required!

Our Dialecticians:

Dr. Sue Laver听听

Inaugural director of the 黑料不打烊 Writing Centre 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 鈥淔rankensteinian鈥� film Blade Runner upon its theatrical release in 1982. A lecturer for many years in 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Department of English, Sue has guided hundreds of students through Frankenstein鈥檚 philosophical complexities and its afterlife in popular culture, with emphasis on the metaphysical and ethical status of the Monster and its technological descendants.听

Dr. Nabil Beitinjaneh

Business Strategist and AI/ML/Analytics Expert. Faculty Lecturer @ the 黑料不打烊 School of Continuing Studies, focused on adult learners who want to upskill, guiding learners on their journey to become AI-savvy change-makers. Nabil is engaged in leadership, strategy and organizational development through events, training, and his service with non-for-profit organizations. He is an Ambassador for听听which supports Centraide of Greater Montreal and the president of听.

Blade Runner - More Human than Human?

July 8th 2025

This event is a collaboration between the听黑料不打烊 School of Continuing Studies,听 the听黑料不打烊 Computational and Data Systems Initiative听and the听黑料不打烊 Collaborative for AI & Society.