Public Events
Distinguished Speaker Burkhardt Wolf: ‘Dial A for Anxiety: Media and Affect’
Maxwell Hall, 204B
Add to: Outlook, ICal, Google Calendar
The exploration of the peculiar "culture of anxiety's" relationship between discourse, subjectivity and technical objects that emerged in the 1940s.
Category
Social Science and Public Policy
Type
Lectures and Seminars
Region
Campus
Open to
Public
Organizers
CAS-Department of English, Humanities Center, CAS-Department of Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
Accessibility
Contact Lynnell Cabezas to request accommodations
ASPI News
Experts Say Federal Agency Should Govern AI, New Survey Conducted by Two University Institutes Finds
Generation Lab conducted the survey for Axios in partnership with Syracuse University’s Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship (IDJC) and the Autonomous Systems Policy Institute (ASPI).
See related: Autonomous Systems, Government, United States
Ekbia Comments on the Current State of AI Regulation by State Governments in Bloomberg Law
“Unfortunately, academics as much as many others, including Silicon Valley folks, are culpable for spreading this kind of fear and anxiety in the society,” says University Professor Hamid Ekbia. “Let’s stop for a second, take a deep breath, and see what is really possible in both directions, in terms of risks, but also in terms of the promises.”
See related: Autonomous Systems, State & Local, United States
ASPI Director Hamid Ekbia Visits Spain to Discuss Challenges in Regulating AI
As part of ASPI’s global outreach program, Director Hamid Ekbia visited Spain in July 2023, where he met with Carme Artigas Brugal, Spain’s secretary of state for digitalization and artificial intelligence, and Maxwell Advisory Board member Javier Font '92 M.P.A.
See related: Autonomous Systems, Europe
Syracuse University to Host D.C. Symposium on AI Policy
The symposium will connect academics with policymakers and newsroom leaders for discussions around AI innovations and vulnerabilities. It also will serve as the launch event for the Academic Alliance for AI Policy, an organization making AI experts’ advice accessible to lawmakers and policymakers in their efforts to regulate AI.
See related: Autonomous Systems, Washington, D.C.
ASPI Helps Bring High Schoolers to Campus for Autonomous Racecar Grand Prix
The four-week program is being offered by Orange Works with support from ASPI and the College of Engineering and Computer Science.
See related: Autonomous Systems, Student Experience
Travis Mason ’06 Serves as Chief Policy Officer for Autonomous Aviation Systems Developer
He says his Maxwell education, particularly in political science and policy studies, provided a foundation in the multifaceted problem solving involved in his work. “Maxwell taught me how to widen my policy and regulatory aperture,” he says, “because that’s what creates success when certifying autonomous technologies in and outside aviation.”
See related: Autonomous Systems
Future Facing: Maxwell Scholars Respond to the Rapid Rise of AI and Autonomous Systems
Amid the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, Maxwell scholars are gathering critical data, designing policy and informing future leaders.
See related: Autonomous Systems, Data Privacy, Ethics, Student Experience
Benanav Quoted in WIRED Article on Compensation for Workers Who Train AI Chatbots
Surveys indicate that Swedish citizens display less anxiety about robots taking their jobs, in part because when companies introduce new technologies, they often pay to upgrade their workers’ skills. “If you upskill workers, you pay them more,” says Aaron Benanav, assistant professor of sociology. “That's a more durable and sustainable process.”
See related: Autonomous Systems, Labor
Delali Kumavie Designated as the 2023-2024 Inaugural ASPI Fellow in the Arts and Humanities
Delali Kumavie, assistant professor of English in the College of Arts and Sciences, studies the intersection of blackness, aviation and global transit by examining literary and cultural texts by Black writers and artists. She will further explore these intersections during her time as a faculty fellow by designing a course on myth and technology.
See related: Awards & Honors
Benanav Discusses Whether AI-Led Job Displacement Will Reshape the Economy in New Statesman Article
"Even if the vast majority of jobs are unlikely to disappear, and if many new jobs are likely to be created, the nature of work will change due to the implementation of technologies like ChatGPT. We need to shift our thinking about how that change occurs," writes Aaron Benanav, assistant professor of sociology.
See related: Autonomous Systems, Europe, Labor, United States
David Van Slyke Reappointed to 5-Year Term as Maxwell School Dean
See related: Centennial, Promotions & Appointments
Ekbia Article on the Current Revolution in Iran Published in Geschichte der Gegenwart
"Despite brutal repression, protests in Iran continue. The ruling clergy can no longer rally the "masses" behind them, as they have successfully done since the 18th century." University Professor Hamid Ekbia examines the perspectives and dangers of the present revolution in Iran.
See related: Conflict, Middle East & North Africa
Benanav Discusses Latest Tech Company Layoffs in TIME Article
“When interest rates were very low, companies basically had endless money—and investors were telling them to focus on growth, not profitability,” says Aaron Benanav, assistant professor of sociology. “But because interest rates are rising, there’s a shift from big investors to say, ‘No, now you really have to focus on profitability.’ And the big way to do that is through cuts.”
See related: Autonomous Systems, Economic Policy, Labor, United States
Maxwell Students, Faculty Among SOURCE and Honors Grant Recipients
Eleven Maxwell School students have been awarded grants from the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (SOURCE) and the Renée Crown University Honors Program. The awards provide up to $7,500 in support for original undergraduate research projects.
See related: Grant Awards, Student Experience
Baobao Zhang Joins First Cohort of AI2050 Early Career Fellows
Zhang, assistant professor of political science, has received up to $200K to research the role of citizens in the governance of artificial intelligence systems.
See related: Autonomous Systems, Grant Awards
Himmelreich Speaks with Disruptor About Artificial Emotional Intelligence
"A world in which human interaction and emotional and facial expressions are surveilled and normed in such a way that it’s ethically defective in many different ways [is] like something straight from a 'Black Mirror' episode," says Johannes Himmelreich, assistant professor of public administration and international affairs.
See related: Autonomous Systems, Ethics, United States
Hamid Ekbia, PhD, Appointed Director of Autonomous Systems Policy Institute
See related: Autonomous Systems, Promotions & Appointments
Jamie Winders Honored for Excellence in International Scholarship
The Center for Migration Studies presented Winders, professor of geography and the environment and associate provost for faculty affairs, with the award at its annual gala.
See related: Awards & Honors
Zhang Weighs in on Whether or Not Self-Driving Cars Can Become Sentient in Inverse Article
“I think it's possible for AI systems not to be sentient, or at least not to the degree that humans are, and still be able to communicate with unique personalities,” says Baobao Zhang, assistant professor of political science and senior research associate in the Autonomous Systems Policy Institute.
See related: Autonomous Systems, Ethics
Himmelreich Honored with Birkhead-Birkhead Excellence Award
Johannes Himmelreich, assistant professor of public administration and international affairs, received the award for outstanding teaching in the Public Administration and International Affairs (PAIA) Department.
See related: Awards & Honors