Spring Research Colloquium
UNC Hussman and the Hussman Graduate Student Association celebrate the end of the academic year and the accomplishments of the school’s graduate students with the Spring Research Colloquium, to be held April 28 in the Freedom Forum Conference Center (Carroll 305). The event will feature research presentations by current graduate students and a keynote address by Woodrow Hartzog ’11 (Ph.D.), concluding with the presentation of graduate student awards.
schedule
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 8:30-9 a.m. | Breakfast |
| 9-10:30 a.m. | Keynote, Q&A |
| 10:45 a.m.-noon | Student Research Session 1 |
| Noon-12:45 p.m. | Lunch |
| 12:45-2 p.m. | Student Research Session 2 |
| 2:15-3:30 p.m. | Student Research Session 3 |
| 3:30-4 p.m. | Awards |
Speaker
Woodrow Hartzog, an internationally recognized expert in privacy and technology law, is the Andrew R. Randall Professor of Law at the Boston University School of Law. He also holds appointments at Harvard, Stanford, Washington and Northeastern universities. His research focuses on personal data and the design of technologies.
Hartzog has testified multiple times before Congress on data privacy issues and served as a commissioner on the Massachusetts Special Commission on Facial Recognition. He is the author of “Privacy’s Blueprint: The Battle to Control the Design of New Technologies,” published in 2018 by Harvard University Press, and the co-author of “Breached! Why Data Security Law Fails and How to Improve It,” published in 2022 by Oxford University Press (with Daniel Solove).
Keynote: “How AI Destroys Institutions”
Abstract:
Civic institutions—the rule of law, universities and a free press—are the backbone of democratic life. They are the mechanisms through which complex societies encourage cooperation and stability, while also adapting to changing circumstances. The real superpower of institutions is their ability to evolve and adapt within a hierarchy of authority and a framework for roles and rules while maintaining legitimacy in the knowledge produced and the actions taken. Purpose-driven institutions built around transparency, cooperation, and accountability empower individuals to take intellectual risks and challenge the status quo. This happens through the machinations of interpersonal relationships within those institutions, which broaden perspectives and strengthen shared commitment to civic goals.
Unfortunately, the affordances of AI systems extinguish these institutional features at every turn. This talk will make one simple point: AI systems are built to function in ways that degrade and are likely to destroy our crucial civic institutions. The affordances of AI systems have the effect of eroding expertise, short-circuiting decision-making, and isolating people from each other. These systems are anathema to the kind of evolution, transparency, cooperation, and accountability that give vital institutions their purpose and sustainability. In short, current AI systems are a death sentence for civic institutions, and we should treat them as such.
Registration
Registration form embedded below and available at https://unc.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5z4dIpNof9XsZG6