News
Joint Math Meetings
January 8-11, 2025
Seattle, WA
POMSIGMAA guest lecture
Speaker: Thomas Drucker, Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Title: From Computing Machinery and Intelligence to Snake Oil
Friday January 10, 2025, 5:45 p.m.-6:45 p.m.
609, Seattle Convention Center Arch at 705 Pike
Abstract: It is impossible to ignore the ubiquity of artificial intelligence as a tool even in watching television. This talk will look at some of the triumphs of artificial intelligence since its discussion in the papers of Alan Turing about 75 years ago. In particular, it will look at Turing's way of dealing with objections to the possibility getting machines to do the kind of mental work usually associated with humans. It will also suggest that some of the objections which Turing disposes of may still have some force against current applications of AI.
After looking at the story of how computers came to be such masters of the chessboard, the talk will conclude by considering some of the objections to the application of artificial intelligence raised by Narayanan and Kapoor in their recent 'AI Snake Oil' volume. Sometimes philosophers prove that a certain application is impossible just before it is carried out in practice, but the goal here will be arguing that their objections will not fall victim in this way.
Note: the speaker advertised here earlier, Rajesh Kasturirangan, at first agreed to be our speaker, but due to an unexpected challenge back in India, will be unable to give his talk.
Contributed Paper Session for JMM 2025 is cancelled, due to a lack of submitted contributions.
December 2024 Newsletter is now available.
The next POM SIGMAA Business meeting will be held at Mathfest 2025.