- K-State home
- Libraries
- Technology
- AI and libraries
- AI Symposium
- 2023 AI Symposium
2023 AI and the Future Symposium
Oct. 16-18, 2023
Program Description
“AI and the Future: Exploring the Intersection of Language(s), Science and Ethics” was held at Hale Library, with one session taking place at the Manhattan Public Library. This free artificial intelligence symposium featured a variety of panels, lightning talks and workshops, and it offered a way for the K-State and Manhattan community to expand their knowledge of AI. Participants learned how AI can be used for educational purposes, as well as some of the ethical issues surrounding the topic.
Speakers
Alessandro Oltramari, senior research scientist at Bosch Research in Pittsburgh
Alessandro Oltramari’s expertise includes knowledge representation and reasoning, machine learning, cognitive architectures, computational linguistics and the philosophy of science. Oltramari joined Bosch Research in 2016 after working as a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon University. At Bosch Research, he focuses on neuro-symbolic reasoning for decision support. Oltramari’s primary interest is in investigating how knowledge-based systems can be integrated with learning algorithms, and help humans and machines make sense of the physical and digital worlds. Oltramari holds a Ph.D. in cognitive science from the University of Trento in Italy. He had a 10-year tenure at the Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies of the Italian National Research Council (ISTC-CNR), where he maintains an associate researcher position; Oltramari also spent two semesters at Princeton University, in 2005 and 2006, as a visiting scholar.
Oltramari’s research record lists more than 100 publications. He received the Army Research Lab “Above and Beyond” award and has been featured in major news media outlets such as CNET and The New Scientist.
Leilani H. Gilpin, assistant professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz
Leilani H. Gilpin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at UC Santa Cruz. Her research focuses on the design and analysis of methods for autonomous systems to explain themselves. Her work has applications to robust decision-making, system debugging, and accountability.
She holds a PhD in Computer Science from MIT, an M.S. in Computational and Mathematical Engineering from Stanford University, and a B.S. in Mathematics (with honors), B.S. in Computer Science (with highest honors), and a music minor from UC San Diego. Outside of research, Leilani enjoys swimming, cooking, hiking, and org-mode.
Alberto Chimal, writer, professor of creative writing
(Toluca, México, 1970) es escritor y profesor de escritura creativa. Entre otros reconocimientos, en 2002 obtuvo el Premio Nacional de Cuento y en 2014 el Premio de Narrativa Colima, otorgados por el Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes; en 2013 su novela La torre y el jardín fue finalista del Premio Internacional de Novela Rómulo Gallegos; en 2019 su libro para niños La Distante recibió el premio internacional de la Fundación Cuatrogatos, y en 2021 su novela juvenil La noche en la zona M ganó el premio internacional del Banco del Libro. Otras de sus obras son las novelas Los esclavos (2009) y La visitante (2022); una veintena de libros de cuentos, de los que el más reciente es La saga del Viajero del Tiempo (2021); los guiones de las películas 7:19 (2016), dirigida por Jorge Michel Grau, y Confesiones (2023), dirigida por Carlos Carrera; y "Funeral", una historia ilustrada por Rulo Valdés que forma parte de la novela gráfica Batman: El Mundo (2021), publicada por DC Comics. Textos suyos se han traducido a una docena de idiomas y han aparecido en antologías internacionales, incluyendo The Big Book of Modern Fantasy (2020) y The Best of World SF (2022). Su libro más reciente es Scary Story, un libro de narraciones de weird fiction traducido al inglés por D. P. Snyder y publicado por Pamenar Press.
Translated Bio in English:
Alberto Chimal (Toluca, Mexico, 1970) is a writer and professor of creative writing. Among other recognitions, in 2002, he received the National Short Story Award, and in 2014, the Colima Narrative Prize, both granted by the National Institute of Fine Arts. In 2013, his novel La torre y el jardín was a finalist for the Rómulo Gallegos International Novel Prize. In 2019, his children’s book La Distante received the international prize from the Fundación Cuatrogatos, and in 2021, his young adult novel La noche en la zona M won the international award from Banco del Libro. Some of his other works include the novels Los esclavos (2009) and La visitante (2022); more than twenty short story collections, the most recent of which being La saga del Viajero del Tiempo (2021); the screenplays for the films 7:19 (2016), directed by Jorge Michel Grau, and Confesiones (2023), directed by Carlos Carrera; and "Funeral," an illustrated story by Rulo Valdés that is part of the graphic novel Batman: El Mundo (2021), published by DC Comics. His texts have been translated into dozens of languages and have appeared in international anthologies, including The Big Book of Modern Fantasy (2020) and The Best of World SF (2022). His most recent book is Scary Story, a collection of weird fiction narratives translated into English by D. P. Snyder and published by Pamenar Press.
Raquel Castro, writer, journalist, cultural promoter
(Ciudad de México, 1976) es escritora, periodista y promotora cultural. Entre otros reconocimientos, en 2000 y 2001 obtuvo el Premio Nacional de Periodismo dentro del equipo del programa Diálogos en Confianza de Canal Once; en 2012 el Premio de Novela Juvenil Gran Angular por la novela Ojos llenos de sombra, y en 2022 una mención especial en los premios de la Fundación Cuatrogatos por el libro de cuentos El ataque de los zombis (parte mil quinientos). Otras de sus obras son las novelas juveniles Exiliados (2013), Lejos de casa (2013), Dark Doll (2014) y Un beso en tu futuro (2017); el ensayo Cambiamos para ser más como somos (2017), y el libro de cuentos Pirañas del mundo, ¡uníos! (2017). Su libro más reciente es la novela El método infalible para ligarte a quien tú quieras (2021). Sus cuentos han aparecido en antologías de México, Europa y Estados Unidos. Actualmente es miembro del Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte e imparte un curso de literatura para jóvenes en el portal Doméstika.
Translated Bio in English:
Raquel Castro (Mexico City, 1976) is a writer, journalist, and cultural promoter. Among other recognitions, in 2000 and 2001, she received the National Journalism Award as part of the Diálogos en Confianza program team on Canal Once. In 2012, she won the Gran Angular Youth Novel Award for the novel Ojos llenos de sombra, and in 2022, she received a special mention in the Fundación Cuatrogatos for the short story collection El ataque de los zombis (parte mil quinientos). Some of her other works include youth novles Exiliados (2013), Lejos de casa (2013), Dark Doll (2014) and Un beso en tu futuro (2017); the essay Cambiamos para ser más como somos (2017), and the short story collection Pirañas del mundo, ¡uníos! (2017). Her most recent publication is the novel El método infalible para ligarte a quien tú quieras (2021). Her short stories have appeared in anthologies in Mexico, Europe, and the United States. She is currently a member of the National System of Art Creators and teaches a literature course for young writers on the Doméstika platform.
Schedule and recordings
Recordings are available for select events. Use the drop-down menus below to find session recordings.
Monday, Oct. 16 schedule and recordings
|
9-9:15 a.m., Hale Library, first floor Welcome Table Open (Registration) |
||
|
9:15-10:05 a.m., Hale Library, Room 181, and Zoom Morning Keynote: "Explaining Self-Driving Cars for Accountable Autonomy" Keynote Speaker: Leilani Gilpin, Assistant Professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz Autonomous systems are prone to errors and failures without knowing why. In critical domains like driving, these autonomous counterparts must be able to recount their actions for safety, accountability and trust. An explanation: a model-dependent reason or justification for the decision of the autonomous agent being assessed is a key component for post-mortem failure analysis, but also for pre-deployment verification. I will present neuro-symbolic systems that use neural networks and commonsense knowledge to detect and explain unreasonable vehicle scenarios, even if the autonomous vehicle has not seen that error before. In the second part of the talk, I will motivate the use of explanations as a testing framework for autonomous systems. I will conclude by discussing new challenges at the intersection of explainable AI and autonomy toward autonomous vehicles systems that are explainable by design. |
||
|
10:05-10:45 a.m., Hale Library, Room 181 “Lightning Talks Showcasing Ph.D. Students from the Computer Science Department” Chair: Abhilekha Dalal |
||
|
10:45-11 a.m. Break |
||
|
11 a.m.-12 p.m., Hale Library, Room 181, and Zoom “Demystifying AI: Highlights from Computer Science AI Research” Speakers: Ajay Sharda, Doina Caragea, Lior Shamir, Pascal Hitzler |
||
|
12-1:30 p.m. Break for lunch |
||
|
1:30-2:30 p.m., Hale Library, Friends Instruction Room (Room 359), and Zoom Workshop 1: Research with AI Hosted by K-State librarians Fun? Can literature reviews be fun? With AI tools such as Elicit and Research Rabbit, the answer is yes — provided that you use them appropriately and recognize their weaknesses. In this workshop, you will learn to quickly and easily augment traditional discovery methods by visualizing relationships among articles, finding articles based on similarity, and summarizing and extracting information of interest. In addition to new skills, you will emerge with knowledge of strategies for finding additional AI-powered discovery engines. Learn about artificial intelligence tools that can help you with literature review. |
||
|
1:30-2:45 p.m., Hale Library, Room 181 and four first-floor conference rooms Birds of a Feather: Breakout Ad-hoc Discussion Groups In this session, participants choose what is going to be discussed. During the first 10 minutes, every participant can make proposals for discussion themes related to AI. The top four topics will be discussed in small groups. Example topics could include:
|
||
|
2:45-4 p.m., Hale Library, first-floor west wing AI Projects at K-State Showcase and Coffee Break |
||
|
4-5 p.m., Hale Library, Room 181, Zoom and virtual viewing at the Manhattan Public Library Afternoon Keynote: "Of Elephants, Pumpkins and Self-driving Cars: New Trends and Old Problems in AI" Keynote Speaker: Alessandro Oltramari, Bosch Research, Pittsburgh Large Language Models (LLMs) display great skills in surfing on vast oceans of text but are not apt for submerging beneath the surface and exploring the depth of contextual meaning. This diagnosis emerges by dissecting the mistakes that LLMs like ChatGPT make, which show lack of reasoning capabilities, alongside the indisputably impressive linguistic talent. Such deficiency goes beyond language and affects AI solutions used in a variety of tasks, including automated perception and decision support. In my keynote, I will show how contemporary AI systems still suffer from old problems and offer a path to overcome these limitations. |
Tuesday, Oct. 17 schedule and recordings
|
9-9:30 a.m., Hale Library, first floor Welcome Table Open |
||
|
9:30-10:30 a.m., Hale Library, Friends Instruction Room (Room 359) and Zoom Workshop 2: Experience AI Image Generation Presented by K-State librarians Alice Anderson, Jason Coleman and Carol Sevin K-State Librarians will provide a quick overview of popular AI image generation tools and then set you free to create images that amuse or inspire. Participants will share their favorite creations with one another and share thoughts about the possible uses of these technologies. We will close with a brief discussion of copyright and ownership of images brought into being with a few keystrokes. |
||
|
10:30-10:45 a.m. Break |
||
|
10:45-11:45 a.m., Hale Library, Friends Instruction Room (Room 359) and Zoom Workshop 3: Copyright & AI: Do You Agree to the Terms and Conditions? Presented by K-State librarian Gwen Sibley |
||
|
11:45 a.m.-12 p.m. Break |
||
|
12-1 p.m., Hale Library, Room 181, and Zoom English Department Lightning Talks: "AI and the Writer's Voice" Hosted by the English department Join the English department for three lightning talks and conversation about the place of the writer's voice in a world of generative AI. This series is hosted by the Department of English, the Writing Center and the Department of Honor and Integrity Katie Conrad (Professor of English, KU), "Student Voices, Student Rights" Camilla Roberts (Director of Honor and Integrity, K-State), "Championing Academic Integrity in the Age of AI" Theresa Merrick (Assistant Director of the Writing Center, K-State), "'That Doesn't Sound Like Me': Experiments with ChatGPT in a Technical Writing Classroom" Karin Westman (Department Head of English, K-State), moderator |
||
|
1-3 p.m. Break for lunch |
||
|
3-4 p.m., Zoom Workshop 4: Language Teaching in the Age of AI: Harnessing the Power of Chat GPT and Artificial Intelligence to Transform Language Education Presented by Leah Rogstad In this webinar, we will explore how artificial intelligence and ChatGPT can support teachers in their teaching and facilitate language learning and also how artificial intelligence is transforming the language classroom and the role of the teacher in the language learning process. Attendees will take away practical lesson design and activity applications to use in the language classroom. We will also consider some limitations and ethical questions regarding artificial intelligence while looking toward a future with its presence further integrated into our everyday lives. |
||
|
4:15-5:15 p.m., Hale Library, Room 181, and Zoom Philosophy Department Panel on Ethics and AI: "AI and Data Ownership: Navigating the Ethical Labyrinth" Panelists: Jack Himelright, Roger McHaney, Camila Hernandez Flowerman, J.T. Laverty |
||
|
6:30 p.m. Travel to Manhattan Public Library |
||
|
7-8 p.m., Manhattan Public Library, Auditorium Community Conversation: Questions, Concerns and Applications of AI - Scholars from AI and Related Areas within the Humanities and K-State Librarians Panelists: Alice Anderson and Jason Coleman (K-State Libraries), William Hsu (computer science), Bruce Glymour (philosophy), Cody J. Wassenberg (Manhattan Public Library) The panel will discuss the topic of AI and its impact on academia and society. This project aims to democratize artificial intelligence across campus and in the community. The goal is to connect diverse audiences to learn about and experience new AI developments. This is a town-hall style meeting where the community can engage with scholars and ask questions related to AI in society. |
Wednesday, Oct. 18 schedule and recordings
|
9-9:30 a.m., Hale Library, first floor Welcome Table Open |
||
|
9:30-10:30 a.m., Hale Library, Friends Instruction Room (Room 359), and Zoom Workshop 5: Experience AI Text Generation Presented by K-State librarians Alice Anderson, Jason Coleman and Carol Sevin Are you curious to discover why ChatGPT and other AI text generators have exploded in popularity? After imparting a few simple "prompt engineering" tips, we will turn you loose to see what AI text generators can and can't do. Whether you are a writer just looking for inspiration, a student who wants help correcting grammatical errors or a parent looking for a novel story to read to your child, this introductory workshop is for you. |
||
|
10:30-10:45 a.m. Break |
||
|
10:45-11:45 a.m., Hale Library, Friends Instruction Room (Room 359), and Zoom Workshop 6: Technical Writing - Resumes, Cover Letters and More with ChatGPT Presented by K-State librarians Carol Sevin and Jason Coleman Generative AI has disrupted the writing world, but what does this mean for job application materials? This workshop will explore how employers and applicants can revisit tried-and-tested resume and cover letter advice alongside the new possibilities of text generation technology. Participants will learn best practices for writing job materials and get a chance to test the possibilities (and, potentially, challenges) of using tools like ChatGPT for resumes, cover letters and more. |
||
|
11:45 a.m.-12 p.m. Break |
||
|
12-1 p.m., Zoom "Artificial Intelligence in Higher Ed (GPD)" Hosted by K-State's Teaching and Learning Center; presented by Clarissa Steele In this session, participants will learn about using AI to prep courses; help students learn content, improve their writing and comprehend reading better; and implement AI in the classroom so students learn how to use AI more productively as the technology evolves. Participants will come away from this session with a better understanding of AI, the ability to construct specific and useful prompts for completing tasks and brainstorming ideas using AI, and strategies for developing assignments and activities incorporating AI in the classroom. |
||
|
12-1 p.m., Hale Library, Friends Instruction Room (Room 359) Workshop 7: Introducción a Worldbuilding (English translation: Introduction to Worldbuilding) Led by Alberto Chimal and Raquel Castro Este taller ofrecerá un vistazo a las técnicas básicas para construir mundos inventados y es útil para cualquier tipo de historia, desde novelas o cómics hasta podcasts. This workshop offers a glance into the basic techniques of worldbuilding and is useful for any type of story, from novels or comics to podcasts. This session is in Spanish. |
||
|
1-3 p.m. Break for lunch |
||
|
3-3:45 p.m., Hale Library, Room 181 Dexer and Durable, two AI companies, will present how AI is used in their companies and field questions from the audience
Dexer: Bruce Rasa, co-founder and CEO, and T.J. Flax, project lead |
||
|
4-5 p.m., Hale Library, Hemisphere Room (Room 581) Keynote: "IA: ¡El fin de la escritura! (¿O no?)" (English translation: AI: The End of Writing! (Or Is it?)) Keynote Speakers: Alberto Chimal and Raquel Castro Una conversación acerca del auge de las herramientas de inteligencia artificial y la realidad detrás de su uso, incluyendo los cambios que pueden traer a la escritura y actividades creativas semejantes. A conversation about the ascent of AI tools and the realities behind their use, including the changes they may cause for writing and other creative activities. This session is in Spanish. |
||
|
5-5:30 p.m., Hale Library, Hemisphere Room (Room 581) Meet and greet with authors Alberto Chimal and Raquel Castro |
Partners
This symposium would not have been possible without the generosity and time of several organizations, including K-State's Department of Modern Languages, K-State's Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, K-State's Department of Computer Science, K-State Libraries, Manhattan Public Library and the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, we would like to give a special thanks to the departments and organizations that contributed to panels, workshops and special sessions.
Event organizers included Raelynne Hale, teaching assistant professor in the Department of Modern Languages; Alice Anderson, instructional designer II at K-State Libraries; Jason Coleman, academic services librarian at K-State Libraries; Pascal Hitzler, director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science; and Carol Sevin, academic services librarian at K-State Libraries.