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Artificial intelligence is a system that can correctly interpret data, learn from it, and then use what it's learned to adapt in order to achieve specific goals autonomously. AI can do things faster and better than humans, and we reap the rewards, but AI-based technologies also have the capacity to be harmful in ways we might not predict. Good Systems invites you to meet and network with UT researchers and Austin tech industry leaders as we attempt to answer the following: Can we ensure that AI advances are consistent with established standards so that they’re compatible with and responsive to society’s needs and values? And if so, how? Join us for a panel discussion and Q&A followed by a reception with food and drinks. Register today.

Join the us for a night of discussion about how media can be a mirror or a window to understanding human-AI systems. We'll screen the film “The Truth About Killer Robots," a documentary that explores the many ways in which artificial intelligence is taking over people's lives and making humans increasingly obsolete. This will be followed by a panel discussion with director Maxim Pozdorovkin and members of the UT Good Systems grand challenge team. This event is free, but pre-registration is required to attend. A small snack and beverages will be served, and parking will be validated.

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Good Systems is hosting a fireside chat with Tim Hwang, director of the Harvard-MIT Ethics and Governance of AI Initiative, and Professor Sharon Strover from the Moody College of Communication. Dubbed “The Busiest Man on the Internet” by Forbes, Hwang researches and writes about the social implications of artificial intelligence. Before joining the Harvard-MIT initiative, he served as Google’s global public policy lead on AI. His current work focuses on the geopolitical aspects of computational power and ensuring social justice in machine learning applications. Following the fireside chat, we invite everyone to attend a reception to meet the Good Systems research team and learn about projects that will be launching this year. UT faculty and staff will also have the opportunity to network with colleagues from around campus and find out what opportunities exist for participating in this grand challenge. This is a free event, but space is limited, so please reserve your spot today.

The City of Austin and partners across Central Texas are excited to invite you to our first Civic Futures Summit on October 1st and 2nd. Join us in Austin for five tracks of workshops, a mainstage program featuring speakers from across the country, and the Civic Futures Awards featuring some of the best work from across the region.

Our world is increasingly digital and connected, and data is being produced at extraordinary, exponentially increasing rates. As a result, data analytics and artificial intelligence are enabling improvements in everything from product design to business operations, from customer experiences to civic engagement. And new societal transformations powered by data and analytics on the horizon, including autonomous vehicles, and smart and safe buildings and cities. However, with growing concerns around personal privacy, data security, and the power of influence that data and AI provide, many are wondering what the future holds for our society. Can our governance structures—laws, ordinances, policies, procedures, and even cultural norms—evolve rapidly enough? What is the balance between social good and potential risks and dangers? Join us as we address these concerns by hosting a debate with technology and policy leaders with wide-ranging perspectives to talk about the implications of data, personal privacy, and ethics of new technologies that will shape our future.

Join UC Santa Barbara Professor Alan Liu as he leads a discussion about multi-disciplinary perspectives as they relate to critical infrastructure studies. He'll talk about why these different academic perspectives — sometimes divergent even in their quest to come together — are needed to imagine a good infrastructure as the foundation for a "good system." In the case of "Bridging Barriers" Grand Challenges initiative, for example, how many different ways are there to understand what a bridge or a barrier is good for (and for whom)?

The Good Systems grand challenge team is partnering with Facebook Developer Circles and the City of Austin to host a hackathon that focuses on creating positive change in communities: hackers will design socio-technical solutions that can foster sustained and constructive civic engagement among residents.

The Texas Water Research Network provides a forum and encouragement for research about water science, management, and policy. Solutions to Texas’ water challenges will be addressed through new knowledge, innovative approaches, as well as through the synthesis of existing knowledge. This is of special significance for Texas water challenges related to the rapid population growth and projected changing water availability in the state in the 21st Century. Learn more about the two-day conference and register here.