Webinar to Discuss Ethical Challenges of AI Hype in New Research Collection
We and AI, a nonprofit focused on AI literacy and critical thinking, has announced an upcoming webinar titled “The Ethical Implications of AI Hype.”
The event is scheduled to take place online on Monday, 23 September, from 12:00 PM to 4:30 PM UTC, offering a platform to critically examine the hype surrounding AI and its potential misrepresentations.
What the Event Covers
As AI becomes a significant force across industries, understanding its genuine and potential impact is crucial. A new collection of 20 research papers will demonstrate how inflated narratives about AI impede the development of accurate information required for informed decision-making across sectors. The webinar is a symposium of over 30 authors, professional researchers and experts who contributed to this AI and Ethics Journal’s collection of new research and articles. It is the first dedicated to defining and examining the phenomenon of AI hype and its ethical impacts from a wide range of perspectives.
Why It’s Important
While excitement around AI technology is growing, inflated claims often mislead the public, businesses, and policymakers. Such exaggerations can create unrealistic expectations and influence key decisions made without a full understanding of AI’s limitations. As AI progresses faster than both regulation and public awareness, accurately communicating its capabilities is essential. Misleading claims can have ethical consequences, affecting areas like policy-making and investment.
Key Sessions and Discussions
- The Global Impact of AI Hype – This panel discussion, moderated by Professor Kevin LaGrandeur from the University of Vermont, will feature panellists including Alva Markelius, Natalie Delille, Connor Wright, and Joahna Kuiper. The panel will explore the historical roots and societal consequences of AI hype, focusing on the global impact of exaggerated claims. The panellists, with expertise in AI ethics, social impact, and responsible AI strategy, will discuss ways to mitigate AI hype’s effects and promote a more realistic adoption of AI technologies.
- AI Hype as a Cybersecurity Risk: The Responsibility of Implementing GenAI – In this interview, Dr Declan Humphreys will speak with Medina Bakayara about the cybersecurity and ethical challenges tied to generative AI in business. They will discuss the risks, including data poisoning and sensitive information breaches, and emphasise the importance of ethical guidelines such as non-maleficence and explicability in guiding AI use.
- AI Hype – Where Do We Go From Here? – A panel featuring Professor Dagmar Monett, Gilbert Paquet, Dr Kerry McInerny, Dr Nirit Weiss-Blatt, and Dr Shyam Krishna will discuss the narrative gaps around AI and its portrayal in education and beyond. They will advocate for responsible communication about AI and suggest resources for further exploration.
Event Structure
The webinar will include a mix of presentations, interviews, group discussions, and live Q&A sessions. Attendees will be able to connect with experts during and after the event via the event platform.
Full details of the event agenda and speaker profiles can be found in the programme.
Dr Kerry McInerney, Senior Research Fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge, commented: “One of the major problems we’re seeing right now in the AI industry is the overpromising of what AI tools can actually do. I think to some extent we’re starting to see greater reticence on the part of buyers who’ve been promised AI tools that simply fail to live up to expectations.”
Tania Duarte, Lead Guest Editor for the AI and Ethics Journal’s Collection on The Ethical Implications of AI Hype and Founder of We and AI, stated: “Enthusiasm can be necessary for innovation and problem solving, but what these research articles show is how AI is talked about often goes beyond excitement and into the realms of misrepresentation and misdirection. Misleading framing and language, deterministic narratives (negative and positive), and performance claims all impede people’s ability to think critically about when, how, and under what circumstances AI should be used.”
The event will take place online on Monday, 23 September, from 12:00 PM to 4:30 PM GMT. Registration is now open, and a recording will be made available to all participants.
Places can be booked here and recording will be made available to registrants. The full programme is available to view here.