Humanizing AI

Technology can plumb vast amounts of data, and the skeptics among us may fear that an increasingly data-driven world might overwhelm our humanity. Yet new breakthroughs in technology may also help us plumb the mysteries of our emotions.

Rana el Kaliouby, a pioneer in Emotion AI, which uses deep learning and massive amounts of data to analyze complex, nuanced emotions and cognitive states from faces and voices, joins in conversation with affective neuroscientist Kevin Ochsner. They debate what we can do to humanize technology before it dehumanizes us.

This program will be followed by a book signing with Rana el Kaliouby.

A pioneer in Emotion AI, Rana el Kaliouby, PhD, is co-founder and CEO of Affectiva and author of the forthcoming bookGirl Decoded: A Scientist’s Quest to Reclaim Our Humanity by Bringing Emotional Intelligence to Technology. A passionate advocate for humanizing technology, ethics in AI, and diversity, Rana has been recognized on Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list and as one of Forbes’s Top 50 Women in Tech. Rana is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and a newly minted Young Presidents’ Organization member, and she co-hosted a PBS NOVA series on AI. She holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and a postdoctorate from MIT.

Kevin Ochsner received his PhD from Harvard and postdoctoral training at Stanford. He is professor of psychology at Columbia University, where he directs the Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory. The lab’s work on emotion, self-control, and person perception has been funded by private and public grants, including five different NIH Institutes. A co-founder of the Social and Affective Neuroscience Society, Kevin also is past president of the Society for Affective Science, author of more than 100 scientific articles, and editor of two books; he has received various awards for research and teaching, including the American Psychological Association’s New Investigator Award, the Cognitive Neuroscience Society’s Young Investigator Award, and Columbia University’s Lenfest Distinguished Faculty Award. This is his second appearance at Brainwave.

This program is supported by Eva and Yoel Haller.

Lead support for Brainwave is provided by Science Sandbox, an initiative of Simons Foundation, and by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Major support is provided by Gerry Ohrstrom, Rasika and Girish Reddy, and Noah P. Dorsky.

Program support is provided by Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Eva and Yoel Haller, Cheryl Henson, and Heather Beth Henson.