IEEE TEMS: Statement of the Digital Humanism Initiative on ChatGPT (DIGHUM series)

Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. (17:00) (Central European Time)

Topic: “Statement of the Digital Humanism Initiative on ChatGPT and a possible new online world”
(PDF here, scroll down for abstract and CV)

Speakers: Helga Nowotny (Former President of the ERC) and George Metakides (President of Digital Enlightenment Forum, Visiting Professor, University of Southampton)

Moderator: Hannes Werthner (TU Wien, Austria)

To participate in the talks via Zoom go to: https://tuwien.zoom.us/j/96389928143?pwd=UU5YRkNuRmdoWHV4MFBwMWRCcUErdz09
(Password: 0dzqxqiy)

Both talks will be live streamed and recorded on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/digitalhumanism

For further announcements and information about the speakers in the Lecture Series, see https://dighum.ec.tuwien.ac.at/news-events. Please note that you can access the slides and recordings of our past events via that link.

For those who couldn't attend the lastest lectures please find here the recordings of "Seize the Means of Computation" by Cory Doctorow and "On ChatGPT" by Gary Marcus.

We are looking forward to seeing you!

Hannes Werthner
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ABSTRACT “Statement of the Digital Humanism Initiative on ChatGPT and a possible new online world”:

The release of ChatGPT has stirred worldwide enthusiasm as well as anxieties. It has triggered popular awareness of the far-reaching potential impact of the latest generative AI, which ranges from numerous beneficial uses to worrisome concerns for our open democratic societies and the lives of citizens.

This development offers an unexpected, but welcome, occasion to explain to the wider public and policy-makers what AI tools like ChatGPT are and how they work; to highlight beneficial uses, but also to raise concerns about its considerable risks, especially for liberal democracies; to underline the urgency for public discussion, society-wide response and the timely development of appropriate regulation; and to argue that academic research needs a fair chance to set research directions independently of the large corporations and their huge investments that are now being poured into further commercial exploitation.

PDF: The statement of the Digital Humanism Initiative

Short Bio of Helga Nowotny:

Helga Nowotny is Professor emerita of ETH Zurich and Former President of the European Research Council, ERC. Currently she is Chair of the ERA Council Forum Austria and Visiting Professor at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Her active engagement in scientific advisory boards includes the Walling Falls Foundation; Lindau Nobel Laureate meetings ; Complexity Science Hub Vienna (Chair); Centre de la Recherche Interdisciplinaire, CRI, in Paris; Institut des Etudes Avancées, Paris and others. She has received numerous awards from Academies of Science and Honorary Doctorates from Universities in Europe and abroad, most recently an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Oxford and the Leibniz- Medal from the BBAW in Berlin. Her latest book publications are „The Cunning of Uncertainty“ (2015) and „An Orderly Mess“ (2017).

Short Bio of George Metakides:

George Metakides is visiting professor at the University of Southampton, Adjunct Professor at the European University of Cyprus, President of the Digital Enlightenment Forum, and Advisor to several international organizations. He is involved in the analysis of the economic, political and social impact of digitization, related cybersecurity, data protection and regulatory issues and the promotion of international cooperation towards a digital ecosystem respecting shared human values.) With a Ph.D. in Mathematical Logic earned from Cornell University in 1971, he pursued an academic career at MIT, Cornell and Rochester University before returning to Greece as Chair of Logic at the University of Patras. Since 1984 he has held senior positions with responsibility for Research & Development policy, funding and international co-operation in European institutions including the Directorship of the ESPRIT program He has contributed to the establishment of international institutions (including the launch of the World Wide Web consortium in 1993), has received a number of awards and honorary degrees and is a corresponding member of several National Academies.