Imagining Summit Program

Welcome & Dinner

Enjoy a some of Bend's local food scene, get to know each other, and get started on imagining!

Opening Discussion: The Power of Scale

Jamer Hunt, author of Not to Scale and inspired by the Eames's film Powers of Ten, will catalyze our opening discussion on the concept of scale. This session will delve into how different scales—whether individual, organizational, community, societal, or even temporal—shape our perspectives and influence the design of AI systems. By examining the impact of scale on context and constraints, Jamer will guide us to a clearer understanding of the appropriate levels at which we can envision and build a hopeful future with AI. This interactive session promises to set the stage for a thought-provoking conference.

Synthbiosis

Michael Levin, distinguished professor of biology at Tufts University and associate at Harvard's Wyss Institute, will talk about the emerging field of diverse intelligence and his frameworks for recognizing and communicating with the unconventional intelligence of cells, tissues, and biological robots. This work has led to new approaches to regenerative medicine, cancer, and bioengineering, but also to new ways to understand evolution and embodied minds. He will sketch out a space of possibilities - freedom of embodiment - which facilitates imagining a hopeful future of "synthbiosis", in which AI is just one of a wide range of new bodies and minds. Elena Sergeeva, Staff Scientist at Tufts university, associate at Harvard's Wyss Institute, and co-founder of Tiamat Labs, will expand on Mike's talk on the inter-kingdom communication and biotechnology interfaces, including her work building a new generation of computer chips based on live neural tissues as a future substrate for AGI.

The Community of Machines: Knowledge and AI

Steve Sloman, professor at Brown University and author of The Knowledge Illusion, will catalyze a conversation about how we perceive knowledge in ourselves, others, and now in machines. What happens when our collective knowledge includes a community of machines? Steve will challenge us to think about the dynamics of knowledge and understanding in an AI-driven world, about the evolving landscape of narratives, and ask the question can AI make us believe in ways that humans make us believe? What would it take for AI to construct a compelling ideology and belief system that humans would want to follow?

Tech for Tomorrow: Kids and AI

Katie Davis, author of Technology's Child and a scholar from the University of Washington, will catalyze a session focused on what kids want and need from technology. Drawing on her concept of "loose parts" in play, Katie will explore how AI can be designed to support children's creativity and developmental needs. This discussion will explore the playful and educational potential of AI, as well as consider barriers to overcome, as we imagine how AI and childhood curiosity might walk in lock-step.

Inclusion: AI for All

Aekta Shah, Responsible AI Researcher at Salesforce and John Pasmore, CEO and founder of Latimer.ai, will set the scene with their visions of inclusive AI. Aekta will begin by leading us through an inclusivity experience. John will share with us the journey of Latimer, a large language model built to more accurately reflect the experience, culture, and history of Black and Brown people. Both will take us through their visions for AI, imagining deep inclusion, empathetic engagement, and total transparency, as the path to truly inclusive AI.

Gestures and Thought: AI’s Spatial Challenges

Join Barbara Tversky, author of Mind in Motion and a pioneer in understanding the link between spatial reasoning and abstract thought, for a unique exploration of AI’s challenges. This session will explore what AI might struggle with in the physical world, starting with something as everyday as gesturing. Barbara will reveal how gestures are integral to our thinking process—how we gesture even before we think, and how sitting on our hands hampers our ability to explain. This session highlights how our understanding of human cognition informs what we need to design AI that truly aids our thinking. It offers a fresh perspective on cognitive processes beyond language.

Designing for the Unexpected: Innovation

Adam Cutler, a distinguished designer from IBM, and Josh Lovejoy, a designer from Amazon, will take us beyond creativity into the realm of innovation and the the future of product design. In this session, Adam and Josh will help us see how we can design AI in a way that fosters new and unexpected uses, especially when placed in the hands of the next generation or inventive experts who play with ideas and recombine old with new. They will discuss how AI can be designed to align with users' evolving needs and engage our metacognition. While we can't predict the exact outcomes, Adam and Josh will guide us through an imaginative exploration of the potential. This session promises to spark collective creativity and imagine surprising possibilities that the future of AI might hold.

Reflections on Design: A Future Vision

In our closing session, we are honored to work with Don Norman, the creator of human-centered design and a man who defies categorization. Don will share his reflections on a lifetime dedicated to integrating human needs with technological advancements. What does he think of what we’ve co-created? And what does he envision for a hopeful future?

Creative Synergy: AI and Songwriting

It’s going to be the future soon (so we have to start imagining a hopeful one with AI). Prepare for a dive into the world of creativity with singer-songwriter Jonathan Coulton. Jonathan can't stop singing about AI. In this session, he'll riff on his dream AI collaborator for songwriting. Expect a highly interactive discussion (with perhaps some tunes) about the nature of creativity and what artists might want from AI.

Hands-on workshop: Serious imagining. The Imagining Summit will close with a creative session to collectively imagine and create a hopeful future with AI...using Lego!