About this Event
At a time when anxiety is increasingly felt about the rapid advancement, widespread adoption, and future uncertainty of artificial intelligence, this symposium convenes changemakers in emerging technology, higher education, and the contemplative sciences to address the driving question, “How can we prepare young adults for a future with AI?”
Seeking to understand the stressors – career obsolescence, digital alienation, existential dread – the focus is on how AI anxiety is affecting the minds of young adults and how contemplative interventions can enhance wellbeing at the human-AI interface. By identifying possible future pathways, the symposium is an incubator to learn from global contemplative traditions and cutting-edge science, gain perspective on emerging technologies, and actualize the human capacity to revitalize for flourishing.
The symposium kicks off the AI + Human Flourishing Initiative homed at UVA’s Contemplative Sciences Center. The format of the symposium is designed to facilitate dialogue among three core interlocutors: 1) AI Industry Leaders, 2) Educators, and 3) Contemplatives.
Program
The program will foster meaningful dialogue to advance research and practice in four distinct yet overlapping half-day sessions. Each session will begin by announcing outcomes of a recent poll among young adults on AI anxiety. The deliverable of the symposium will be an undergraduate course offered at the University of Virginia on AI Anxiety.
This symposium is organized by the AI + Human Flourishing Initiative at the Contemplative Sciences Center.
Please visit Visitor Information | Contemplative Sciences Center for information on parking, ADA parking, shuttles, and guest Wifi.
Agenda
🕑: 09:00 AM - 05:30 PM
Day 1
Info: I — AI Anxiety
Identifies and articulates dynamic psychological and societal stressors felt by the rapid onset of artificial intelligence.
9:00-9:30am
Opening Remarks
9:30am-12:00pm
Three 15-minute presentations
Moderated discussion with speakers
Audience Q&A with speakers
12:00-2:00pm
Lunch [Including experiential offerings: meditations, exhibitions, etc.]
II — Agency
Examines questions related to human agency and issues of alignment.
2:00-4:30pm
Three 15-minute presentations
Moderated discussion with speakers
Audience Q&A with speakers
4:30-5:30pm Social in the Gallery
🕑: 09:00 AM - 06:00 PM
Day 2
Info: III — Contemplative Interventions
Explores novel evidence-based interventions with a focus on how global contemplative traditions and the contemplative sciences can contribute to human flourishing in relationship with AI.
9:00-9:30am
Opening Remarks
9:30-12:00pm
Three 15-minute presentations
Moderated discussion with speakers
Audience Q&A with speakers
12:00-2:00pm
Lunch [Including experiential offerings: meditations, exhibitions, etc.]
IV — Possible Futures
Envisions a world in which the human-AI interface positions flourishing while addressing critical stress points, namely: career obsolescence, digital alienation, and existential dread.
2:00-4:30pm
Three 15-minute presentations
Moderated discussion with speakers
Audience Q&A with speakers
4:30-5:00pm
Closing Remarks
5:00-6:00pm
Social in the Gallery
Event venue & nearby stays
Contemplative Sciences Center, 403 Emmet Street South, Charlottesville, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.