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AI in the Cinema - Humans and AI Together

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Programme - Friday Feb 22, 2019

Artificial Intelligence (AI) increasingly affects us, often without knowing it. Cinema has been using AI to explore ideas of the future since the early movies. Lately some high-profile people have been warning people about the dangers of uncontrolled AI. Are they right? The theme of the event is possible modes of interaction between intelligent (eg. human level) AI and humans. Most of these modes are actually very unlikely, but make for good cinema.

                WOULD YOU MARRY AN AI?

This event will show some fun movies that have AI at their core, raising questions and making important points, but in an interesting and entertaining manner.

This full-day event (Friday Feb 22, 2018, 9:30 - 23:00) will consist of 6 movies (based partly on student nominations), plus 2 short talks. Any University person can attend.

Venue: Bayes Centre G.03. You can book a place through the Festival of Creative Learning event booking page.

Food: bring your own sack lunch & dinner.

The DRAFT Programme (all times are approximate)

You can see as many movies as you like!

TimeActivity
9:30Welcome - Bob Fisher
9:30-11:00The Robot & Frank
11:00-13:00The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
13:00-13:15Lunch break
13:15-13:30Talk: House of Lords Inquiry
13:30-16:00AI - Artificial Intelligence
16:00-18:00HER
18:00-18:15Dinner break
18:15-18:30Talk: Beneficial AI society
18:30-20:30The Matrix Revolutions
20:30-22:30Transcendence
22:30-22:45Slack to cope with minor delays
22:45-23:00Closing, tidy up and departure

All times are approximate.

Background

AI is everywhere now – in your phones, TVs, laptops. But when it comes to the movies, you mainly think of the Terminator movies. But there are many movies that explore a broad range of AI, from helpful artefacts, to neurotic intelligences. Some big names have also recently warned about the implications of true AI (although many more real dangers due to pervasive computation exist). By creating an AI protagonist, film directors are free to explore contemporary issues in a less emotional context: automation, megalomania, desire for immortality, racism, desire to be treated well, social welfare, mental health, etc.

This event day is intended to explore how humans and robots might co-exist, as presented in the movies.

The event's goals are:

  1. Expose some of the implications of AI that go beyond simply being a killing machine.
  2. Get people to think about the broader context of where their work and study might go and whether the dystopian future that is presented is even likely.
  3. Have some fun with a set of interesting movies.