SMC Public Policy Institute Presents 2024 Spring Symposium May 20-23

SMC Public Policy Institute Presents 2024 Spring Symposium May 20-23

"The Promise and Peril of Artificial Intelligence" Featuring Keynote Address by MacArthur Grant Awardee Dr. Safiya Umoja Noble

SANTA MONICA, CA — The Santa Monica College Public Policy Institute (PPI) and the SMC Associated Students, in collaboration with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD), will present the 2024 PPI Spring Symposium May 20-23. The theme for this year’s community discussion is “The Promise and Peril of Artificial Intelligence.” Symposium activities will include discussions on how artificial intelligence (AI) creates challenges in governing, a screening of sci-fi film “The Creator” with an audience Q&A, a Pardee RAND-led world-building session, and a keynote speech by UCLA Professor Dr. Safiya Umoja Noble, co-founder and co-director of the UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry.

All symposium events are free and open to the public. These events will be presented live on the main SMC Campus at 1900 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica. All presentations are subject to change without notice.

“The world’s attention is focused on artificial intelligence and its impact on all aspects of our lives. Now is the time to apply a public policy lens and imagine how we can best harness this transformative technology for positive change to the extent possible,” said PPI co-director and SMC adjunct professor Shari Davis. “We are fortunate to have such outstanding thought leaders to participate in and guide these discussions, and are thrilled to feature UCLA’s Dr. Safiya Umoja Noble, 2021 MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient, as our keynote speaker.”

The 2024 PPI Spring Symposium events include: 

• Monday, May 20, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Panel discussion: “Governing and Elections in the Age of AI” — Former Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl will moderate a panel including Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan, along with John Robichaux, Executive Director of UC Berkeley’s Coleman Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership, who provides expertise and training on AI to city governments, including the City of Santa Monica. They will discuss how AI creates challenges in maintaining the integrity of elections while also having the potential to impact the functioning of government in positive ways. Free. SMC Student Services Center Orientation Hall (SSC 183), SMC Campus, 1900 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica.
  

  

• Tuesday, May 21, from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (screening starts at 5 p.m.; discussion follows at 7:30 p.m.): “The Creator: AI Propaganda or Utopian Promise?” Film Screening and Panel Discussion — A free screening of visually stunning sci-fi film “The Creator” (2023), set during a war between humans and robots with artificial intelligence, will be followed by a discussion panel moderated by SMC Public Policy Institute co-director Dr. Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein, SMC philosophy professor Dr. Amber Katherine, and SMC film students Sebastian Carrasco and Alci Rengifo, hosts of the popular podcast “Breaking the 180.” Free. SMC Student Services Center Orientation Hall (SSC 183), SMC Campus, 1900 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica.
  

  

• Wednesday, May 22, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.: “World Build led by Pardee RAND Graduate School and SMC Students” — World-building is the act of imagining, designing, and implementing potential futures. This event will present a world built by members of the community as they consider artificial intelligence and whether society will enjoy its promise or peril. Free. SMC Student Services Center Orientation Hall (SSC 183), SMC Campus, 1900 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica.
  

  

• Thursday, May 23, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Keynote Address: Dr. Safiya Umoja Noble: “The Promise and Peril of AI: How Search Engines and AI Reinforce Racism and What We Can Do About It”; followed by a book signing — The 2024 PPI Spring Symposium culminates with a keynote address by UCLA Professor of Gender Studies, African American Studies, and Information Studies Dr. Safiya Umoja Noble. She is the David O. Sears Presidential Endowed Chair of Social Sciences at UCLA and co-founder and co-director of the UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry. Dr. Noble is the author of “Algorithms of Oppression” (NYU Press), examining the racist and sexist algorithmic harm in commercial search engines, and a co-editor of “The Intersectional Internet: Race, Sex, Class and Culture” and “Emotions, Technology & Design.” A board member of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, Dr. Noble was recognized in 2021 as a MacArthur Foundation Fellow, and received the NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award in 2022. Free. SMC Student Services Center Orientation Hall (SSC 183), SMC Campus, 1900 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica.

Accommodation for Disability: Guests who need an accommodation due to a disability to participate in any of these events should send email to dsps@smc.edu or call 310-434-4173, at least 5 business days in advance.

The SMC Public Policy Institute provides nonpartisan community programs exploring key economic, social, and political issues. The 2024 PPI Spring Symposium marks the 13th anniversary of the popular community discussion. Santa Monica College offers an Associate in Arts Degree and Certificate of Achievement in public policy, and students can specialize in one of five public policy areas: arts and cultural affairs, education, environment and sustainability, public health, and urban/socioeconomic issues.

The SMC Public Policy Institute Spring Symposium is co-sponsored by a wide range of education, government, and community organizations and donors, including the Associated Students of Santa Monica College, SMC Associates, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD), City of Santa Monica, and individuals from the Pardee RAND Graduate School.

More information is available at smc.edu/ppi or by calling 310-434-3541.

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