The Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS) Foundation is a non-profit corporation whose purpose is to foster the exchange of research advances in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, principally by hosting an annual interdisciplinary academic conference with the highest ethical standards for a diverse and inclusive community. The conference was founded in 1987 and is now a multi-track interdisciplinary annual meeting that includes invited talks, demonstrations, symposia, and oral and poster presentations of refereed papers. Along with the conference is a professional exposition focusing on machine learning in practice, a series of tutorials, and topical workshops that provide a less formal setting for the exchange of ideas.
NeurIPS 2024
NeurIPS 2024, the Thirty-Eighth Annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems, will be held at the Vancouver Convention Center, Monday Dec 9 through Sunday Dec 15. In collaboration with our partner CHAI and others, we will hold a social on “AI, Faith and Human Agency”.
Topics to Explore
- The role of faith in the development of AI: Faith can play a role in the development of AI in a number of ways. For example, faith can provide a moral compass to guide the development of AI. It can also provide inspiration for new AI applications. In addition, faith can help to build community and trust among AI researchers and developers.
- The ethical implications of AI: AI raises a number of ethical concerns. For example, AI can be used for surveillance, discrimination, and even warfare. It is important to consider the ethical implications of AI before it is deployed in the real world. Faith can provide a moral framework for thinking about the ethics of AI.
- The impact of AI on society: AI is already having a significant impact on society. For example, AI is changing the way we work, the way we learn, and the way we interact with each other. It is important to understand the impact of AI on society so that we can make sure that it is used for good. Faith can help us to understand the impact of AI on society and to develop a vision for how AI can be used to create a better world.
- The future of AI: The future of AI is uncertain. However, it is clear that AI will have a significant impact on our world. It is important to think about the future of AI so that we can be prepared for the changes that it will bring. Faith can help us to think about the future of AI and to develop a vision for how AI can be used to create a better world.
NeurIPS 2023
We collaborated with our partner CHAI to hold the first ever Faith and AI social at a major AI conference at NeurIPS 2023 in New Orleans, December 2023.
- You can watch the video from the conference here: drive.google.com/file/d/view
- Google Slides from the talks are here: docs.google.com/presentation/d/view
By hosting this social, one of our main goals is to encourage and empower AI Researchers to actively engage with the ethical and societal implications that arise with the growing influence of AI technology. While affinity group socials are meant to be preliminary, we hoped getting the conversation started would lead to more impactful efforts in the future and increase belonging for those whose faiths play an integral part of their identity.
Background
From Pew Research on the Global Religious Landscape, over 80-90% of the world population holds some form of faith-based affiliation. However, faith-based affinity socials/workshops at Neurips and AI conferences are lacking and often target one faith community. Therefore, in this social, we hope to gather people from all faiths to tackle increasingly relevant questions in the intersection of faith and AI.
Here are some relevant articles in mainstream media that mention faith and AI,as well as some burgeoning technologies that are being created. While there is some limited research in this area, we note that the vast majority of thought-provoking articles are in fact created outside of AI Research. By hosting this social, one of our main goals is to encourage and empower AI Researchers to actively engage with the ethical and societal implications that arise with the growing influence of AI technology.
- NYTimes Opinion, Can Religion Guide the Ethics of AI? Or Can Silicon Valley Find God? by Linda Kinstler
- LA Times, Can religion save us from artificial intelligence?, by Deborah Netburn
- Vox, Robot priests can bless you, advise you, and even perform your funeral, by Sigal Samuel
- Video: Experiment BlessU-2 / Interactive Installation (“Blessing Robot”)
- Quick video of robot arm performing arti (worship) for Lord Ganesha
- BBC documentary, God and robots: Will AI transform religion?
- Ted Talk What happens when our computers get smarter than we are?, by Nick Bostrom (Oxford | Professor of Applied Ethics; Director, Oxford Future of Humanity Institute; Director, Oxford Martin Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology
