SymBozium 2025 Au dio Recording
\nThe Future of Intelligence: Are We Ready for AGI? \;Imagine a world where m achines don&rsquo\;t just assist us&mdash\;they rival or even surpass huma n intelligence. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) isn&rsquo\;t just a futuristic fantasy\; some experts believe it could become reality in the n ext 2-5 years. This seismic shift would redefine industries\, economies\, and even the fabric of human existence itself. Will AGI be humanity&rsquo\ ;s greatest ally\, or its ultimate disruption? Join us for a provocative d iscussion as leading thinkers unpack the thrilling possibilities&mdash\;an d the existential risks&mdash\;of machines that can think\, learn\, and in novate just like us&hellip\; or better.
\nSpeakers:
Tim Lockie\
, Founder\, The Human Stack
Sarah Myers West\, Co-director\, AI NowJohn Sheppard\, Distinguished Professor of Computer Science\, Montana
State University
Charlie Warzel\, Staff Writer\, The Atlantic
Since 2018 SymBozium has tackled tough topics featuring subject matter ex perts representing varied points of view. Since then\, SymBozium has addre ssed challenging themes ranging from Water in the West to Artificial Intel ligence. In 2019\, SymBozium was presented with the national Baker &\; Taylor award by United for Libraries in recognition of this innovative com munity program.
\nThis event is free and open to the public. Presented by Bozeman Library Friends and Foundation. Proudly sponsored by Element Bozeman.
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Dr. John Sheppard
\nDr. John Sheppard is a Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering Distinguished Profes sor of Computer Science at Montana State University and previously was the RightNow Technologies Distinguished Professor in Computer Science at MSU. He holds a BS in computer science from Southern Methodist University and an MS and PhD in computer science from Johns Hopkins University. In 2007\, he was elected as an IEEE Fellow "for contributions to system-level diagn osis and prognosis." Prior to entering academia\, he was a Fellow at ARINC Incorporated\, a defense aerospace company in Annapolis\, MD where he wor ked for 20 years. Dr. Sheppard performs research in probabilistic graphica l models\, deep learning\, evolutionary and swarm-based algorithms\, distr ibuted optimization\, and applications to system-level test\, diagnosis\, and predictive health. Recently\, his research has expanded into the areas of prostate cancer diagnosis\, precision agriculture\, and wildfire manag ement. He has published over 200 papers in peer-reviewed conference procee dings and journals as well as three books on the subject of system-level d iagnosis and systems engineering. In addition\, Dr. Sheppard is active in IEEE Standards activities where\, currently\, he serves as the chair of th e IEEE P2848 Prognostics and Health Management for Automatic Test Systems standards development working group under SCC20 and the IEEE P1232 Standar d for System Diagnostic Data and Services. He is also a member of the IEEE P2976 eXplainable AI standards working group.
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Sarah Myer s West
\nSarah has spent the last fifteen years interrogati ng the role of technology companies and their emergence as powerful politi cal actors on the front lines of international governance. Sarah brings th is depth of expertise to policymaking in her current role co-directing AI Now\, with a focus on addressing the market incentives and infrastructures that shape tech&rsquo\;s role in society at large and ensuring it serves the interests of the public. Her forthcoming book\, Tracing Code (Universi ty of California Press) draws on years of historical and social science re search to examine the origins of data capitalism and commercial surveillan ce.
\nSarah&rsquo\;s award-winning research is featured in leading a cademic journals and prominent media platforms including the Washington Po st\, the Atlantic\, the Financial Times\, Nature and the Wall Street Journ al. She regularly advises members of Congress\, the White House\, European Commission\, UK Government\, Consumer Financial Protection Board and othe r US and international regulatory agencies and the City of New York\, and has testified before Congress on issues including artificial intelligence\ , competition and data privacy.
\nShe recently completed a term as a Senior Advisor on AI at the Federal Trade Commission\, where she advised the Agency on the role of artificial intelligence in shaping the economy b y working on competition and consumer protection matters. She currently se rves on the OECD&rsquo\;s AI Futures Working Group\, and has affiliations as a Visiting Research Scientist at the Network Science Institute at North eastern University and at Cornell University&rsquo\;s Citizens and Technol ogy Lab. She holds Doctoral and Masters Degrees from the University of Sou thern California\, where she was the Wallis Annenberg Graduate Research Fe llow\, and has received Google Policy and New America Cybersecurity Fellow ships\, as well as a Foreign Language and Area Studies Scholarship.
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\nCharlie Warzel
\nCharlie Warzel writes the newsletter\, Ga laxy Brain for The Atlantic\, where he is a Contributing Writer. Before th at he was a writer-at-large for the New York Times Opinion page\, and a se nior technology writer at BuzzFeed News. He was the lead writer of the Tim es' Privacy Project and co-author of 'One Nation Tracked\,' a seven-part i nvestigative series on smartphone location tracking\, for which he was nam ed a finalist for the 2020 Livingston Award for National Reporting. Before the Times\, Warzel was a senior technology writer at BuzzFeed News\, cove ring technology's biggest platforms\, disinformation\, and information war fare. He was the recipient of a 2019 Mirror Award for his reporting on Fac ebook's privacy struggles. He lives on an island off the coast of Washingt on state.
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Tim Lockie
\nTim Lockie is a nonprof it AI strategist and founder of The Human Stack\, where he&rsquo\;s reshap ing how the sector approaches artificial intelligence. As the creator of t he Upskillerator\, a learning community designed to help nonprofit profess ionals grow their AI skills. Tim brings a human-centered lens to every con versation about emerging tech. His approach? Help organizations unlock lea dership buy-in\, upskill their teams\, and upgrade their tech in ways that feel approachable\, ethical\, and effective.
\nThrough his AI accel erator cohorts and weekly AI for Anyone Live show\, Tim makes AI both acce ssible and actionable for social impact organizations of all sizes. He&rsq uo\;s trained thousands of nonprofit professionals and advised major playe rs like Salesforce\, Microsoft\, and Fundraising.AI. Whether you&rsquo\;re curious about ChatGPT or planning sector-wide AI integration\, Tim is the trusted voice guiding nonprofits through the noise toward meaningful\, mi ssion-aligned adoption.
\nhttps://bozemanlibrary.libnet.info/event/1421 1040 URL;VALUE=URI:https://bozemanlibrary.libnet.info/event/14211040 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR