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What happens when we outsource our memory, attention, and even compassion to machines? Join us for a conversation with Dr. Jane Compson, associate professor of comparative religion and ethics at the University of Washington-Tacoma, as we explore how Buddhist wisdom relates to thorny questions around AI.
Dr. Compson shares her unexpected journey into Buddhism and AI ethics and how Buddhist concepts like impermanence and not-self offer frameworks for navigating AI development. Including a discussion on practical challenges educators face in the AI age, the ethics of care bots in healthcare. Additionally about how you don’t need to be a technical expert on AI to meaningfully engage on this critical issue.
Meet our Speakers
Alex Sarkissian is a Buddhist chaplain, contemplative coach, mindfulness teacher, and social entrepreneur. His work centers around cultivating greater awareness, human connection, and compassion in the age of AI. He holds a Master of Divinity in Buddhism from Columbia University’s Union Theological Seminary, where his thesis assessed the potential impact of AI on the cultivation of virtue and human flourishing. Also, Alex was previously a founder, CMO, and operator at various early-stage startups and a strategy & innovation consultant at Deloitte. Additionally, Alex is a practicing Buddhist straddling Insight and Soto Zen traditions and is passionate about contemplative practice as a pathway toward individual and collective transformation.
Dr. Jane Compson is an associate professor at the University of Washington, Tacoma Campus, teaching classes in topics surrounding Ethics and Religion. Jane holds Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in Comparative Religion from the University of Bristol (UK) and a Master of Arts degree in philosophy (bioethics) from Colorado State University. Dr. Compson has also received lay ordination as a Buddhist chaplain in the Zen Peacemaker Order from Roshi Joan Halifax.
Views and opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of AI and Faith or any of its leadership.
Production: Pablo Salmones and Penny Yuen
Host: Alex Sarkissian
Guest: Jane Compson
Editing: Isabelle Braconnot
Music from #UppbeatLicense code: 1ZHLF7FMCNHU39
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