Event
Generative AI, Free Speech, & Public Discourse
A symposium exploring technological and philosophical questions about generative AI’s effect on public discourse
Columbia University and Online
While the technology underlying generative AI has been decades in the making, to the public, the introduction of ChatGPT, Dall-E, and similar tools feels like a seismic shift in the relationship between humans and technology, especially technology used for expressive purposes. The emergence of generative AI models has been accompanied by predictions of dire harms, including a fresh deluge of disinformation, threats to free elections, and other attacks aimed at destabilizing democracies.
This symposium will bring together leading scholars and practitioners in computer science, law, communications, and policy to debate some of the biggest questions machine-learning tools raise for the future of public discourse, free expression, and democracy.
The symposium will take place in person at The Forum at Columbia University and online. RSVP to learn more. (Please note that once we’ve reached venue capacity, we will be unable to admit more in-person registrants. Early arrival on the day of the event is encouraged to secure entry.)
Co-sponsored by Columbia Engineering and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.
Schedule
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The Forum at Columbia University
605 W 125th St, New York, NY 10027
Registration
Welcome and keynotes
Welcome
- Shih-Fu Chang, Columbia Engineering
- Jameel Jaffer, Knight Institute
Keynote 1A: Opening Up the Language Model Black Box
- Tatsunori B. Hashimoto, Stanford University
Keynote 1B: Challenges for Conversational AI in the Era of LLM
- Dilek Hakkani-Tür, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Lunch
Panel 1: Empirical and Technological Questions: Current Landscape, Challenges, and Opportunities
Panelists
- Alex Jaimes, Dataminr
- Kathy McKeown, Columbia Engineering
- Smaranda Muresan, Barnard College
- Arvind Narayanan, Princeton University
- Carl Vondrick, Columbia Engineering
Moderator
- Shih-Fu Chang, Columbia Engineering
Break
Seed Funding Presentations
Introductory Remarks
- Alberto Ibargüen, President, Knight Foundation (2005-2024); Board Member, Knight Institute (2016-2021)
- Katy Glenn Bass, Knight Institute
- Samar Kaukab, Columbia Engineering
Presentations
- Xia Zhou, Columbia Engineering
- Kathy McKeown, Columbia Engineering
- Lena Song, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, SSRC Digital Platforms Initiative
- Carl Vondrick, Columbia Engineering
Keynote 2: AI and Trust
Keynote speaker
- Bruce Schneier, Harvard Kennedy School
Break
Panel 2: Legal and Philosophical Questions: Information Integrity, Trustworthiness, and the First Amendment
Panelists
- Mike Ananny, University of Southern California
- Nadine Farid Johnson, Knight Institute
- Camille François, Columbia School of International and Public Affairs
- James Grimmelmann, Cornell Tech and Cornell Law School
Moderator
- Katy Glenn Bass, Knight Institute
Closing Remarks
Reception
Speakers
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Mike Ananny
University of Southern California
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Shih-Fu Chang
Columbia University
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Katy Glenn Bass
Research Director, Knight Institute
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James Grimmelmann
Cornell Tech and Cornell Law School
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Nadine Farid Johnson
Policy Director, Knight Institute
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Camille François
Columbia University
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Dilek Hakkani-Tür
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
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Tatsunori B. Hashimoto
Stanford University
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Alberto Ibargüen
President, Knight Foundation (2005-2024); Board Member, Knight Institute (2016-2021)
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Jameel Jaffer
Executive Director, Knight Institute
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Alex Jaimes
Dataminr
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Samar Kaukab
Columbia Engineering
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Kathy McKeown
Columbia Engineering
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Smaranda Muresan
Barnard College
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Arvind Narayanan
Knight Institute Visiting Senior Research Scientist 2022-2023; Princeton University
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Bruce Schneier
Harvard University
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Lena Song
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, SSRC Digital Platforms Initiative
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Carl Vondrick
Columbia Engineering
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Xia Zhou
Columbia Engineering