Event name: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love AI
Event time and place: December 6, 2024, at 11 A.M. in the Gannon Auditorium in Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering
Photo of Dr.Regli(taken sneakily on my phone during the talk (whoops))
Dr.Regli is a computer scientist, who has held positions on the leadership team of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), as Deputy Director and Acting Director of the Defense Sciences Office (DSO), and as Special Assistant to the DARPA Director. These positions exposed Regli to the intricacies of the field of AI and influenced the opinions he discusses throughout his presentation. His career has allowed him to draw several conclusions about society’s attitudes toward artificial intelligence and how government’s should legislate the ever-evolving field of technology.
He opens his presentation with a brief introduction to the common sentiments around artificial intelligence. He attempts to encapsulate the polarizing nature of AI by referencing Voltaire’s Candide, which discusses the polarizing optimism and cynicsym exuded by the main characters. AI is often perceived as a a cataclysmic technology that will reap the end of humanity or as utopian advancement which offers a solution to all of humanity’s problems. Through his time at DARPA and the DSO, Regli learned that neither of these sentiments are valid. AI is widely misunderstood by the public and this gap in knowledge has made AI into a “shoggoth”. In reality, artificial intelligence is akin to a function: it takes in parameters and produces an output(f(x)=y)). Regli attempts to demystify AI for the audience and offer a analysis on the current legislation(and its failures) to properly handle this rapidly evolving technology.
Throughout his speech, Dr. Regli successfully conveys an underlying message to his audience. AI is not as scary as it seems. He approaches this argument with a delicacy which makes it almost impossible to detect that he attempting to persuade his audience. He opens his presentation with a comparison of the sentiments around AI to a common piece of literature to help his audience understand the current status of public perception. He then tries to explain these polarized attitudes by attributing their existence to the lack of understanding around AI. He explains his opinions through his experiences in DARPA and the DSO as a way to earn credibility and establish trust with his audience. He believes that AI is more simple than people give it credit for, and is therefore not going to destroy or “save” humanity. Instead he argues that AI is akin to the advent of railroads or the calculator. It is a tool that is going to fundamentally change the skills required by humanity and the way we go about or day to day lives. This comparison successfully removes alot the mystery around AI. In addition, he also breaks down AI into its fundamental components and offers explanations in simple terms and diagrams so his audience can feel more comfortable with their grasp of artificial intelligence. In an attempt to reduce fears about AI, Dr. Regli also directly addresses the growing concerns with the technology. He discusses the shortcomings of current legislation and the difficulties that come with legislating a rapidly expanding technology. AI is a field that offers humanity an ability to operate on a massive scale with speed and efficiency that has never been seen before. With this expanding capability, AI also offers humanity the chance to abuse it. AI has been utilized in warfare and terrorism. However, Regli offers a solution for this misuse. He arges that legislation and frameworks can be enacted to prevent AI from expanding out of our control. These frameworks offer a more practical approach to AI and attempt to leverage it as a tool rather than a “shoggoth” Ultimately, Dr. Regli’s argument is both practical and pragmatic. By blending his lived experiences and testimonies, technical explanations, and actionable solutions, he successfully demystifies AI and positions it as a transformative but ulitmately manageable force. His balanced approach, which neither ignores AI's risks nor sensationalizes its capabilities, resonates with the audience and inspires confidence in the future of this powerful technology