AI for Regular People

Thurs., April 2-May 7, 4-5:30 p.m.

Time: 4-5:30 p.m.

Location: Online

Cost: $70

With Hod Lipson, Ph.D., Professor of Engineering & Data Science, Columbia University, & Melba Kurman, Tech Writer

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping nearly every aspect of our lives, from chatbots and autonomous vehicles to precision medicine and robotic art.

Back by popular demand, this updated course will revisit key concepts from the previous offering (such as the history of AI and its surprising comeback) but updated examples and discussion topics will reflect the latest developments.

In these jargon-free sessions, we will explore what makes modern AI different from earlier attempts, how it works, and where it’s headed. We will consider the human side of AI including the jobs it might replace or create, the ethical dilemmas it raises, and how it could help, or harm, our daily lives.

Whether we are curious, cautious, or excited about AI, this course will provide ways to understand and engage with this powerful technology.

This course is co-taught by Hod Lipson, Ph.D., Professor of Engineering and Data Science at Columbia University, and author and technology analyst Melba Kurman.

Dr. Lipson directs Columbia’s Creative Machines Lab, where his team builds artificially intelligent robots that can design, create, and express emotion. One of the world’s most-cited academic roboticists, his work has been featured in The New York Times, NPR, TED, and Quanta.

Melba Kurman has held roles at Microsoft, Cornell University, and several tech startups. She writes about emerging technologies and their societal impact.

Together, they co-authored Driverless and Fabricated: The Promise and Peril of 3D Printing, and are frequent speakers on AI and innovation. They divide their time between New York City and the Berkshires.

This class will not be recorded.

Class #: 24006

Registration opens for OLLI members on Feb. 3. Non-members may register starting Feb. 9.