Skeptical Dinners: What’s the deal with generative AI?

Welcome to NYC Skeptic’s new initiative! “Skeptical Dinners” is a series of events facilitated by Prof. Massimo Pigliucci, a philosopher and biologist at the City College of New York. The idea is similar to that of the Ancient Greek symposia: let’s get a small number of like-minded people together over drinks and food and discuss interesting subjects!

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We all know about the new technology of generative AI. Is it good, bad, neither, both? It depends on the context. To fix our ideas for the first of what we’ll likely be a number of discussions about artificial intelligence, let’s start with the current controversy in higher education. What would be a useful and ethical use of AI on the part of students? What about professors? How do we minimize damaging or unethical uses?

Suggested reading: Is AI enhancing education or replacing it?, from The Chronicle of Higher Education. (Free download)

Since these are dinner events at a diner, please treat your rsvp seriously and update it if decide later on not to come. If you don’t and we end up with empty seats, you may be barred from the next meeting. Thanks for understanding!

Park Plaza Restaurant is a diner very conveniently located in Downtown Brooklyn, reachable by the following subways: 2,3,4,5,A,C,F,R.