Seating is Limited. Please register in advance to attend.

In the inaugural year of the MIDAS Data and AI in Society Lecture Series, the general public is welcome and encouraged to attend. No prior experience with AI is required.

Generative artificial intelligence systems such as ChatGPT can have conversations that seem eerily human. But, could they ever be conscious? Just as importantly, why does it matter? Even as AI experts, neuroscientists, and philosophers debate these questions, AI innovation keeps marching on. In this talk, Toyama discusses some of these issues as they pertain to moral personhood, the question of if and when machines should be treated with moral considerations similar to those given to people: Should there be concern about harming AI systems? When should an AI system be held responsible for its actions? What does it mean to hold a machine responsible? As with so much about consciousness and morality, consensus is elusive, but the Toyama also presents his own opinions and arguments for how he believes these questions should be decided.