Roger Penrose to Speak on “AI and Your Future” at UN CTSD in Geneva Tomorrow

MEDIA RELEASE

Roger Penrose to Speak on “AI and Your Future” at UN CTSD in Geneva Tomorrow

IFIP Lunchtime Side Event Will Also Feature Futurist Stephen Ibaraki as Moderator

Brilliant and controversial mathematical physicist and human consciousness visionary, Roger Penrose, will share his thinking about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the future of the world at an IFIP Side Event to the 21st UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CTSD) in Geneva this Tuesday, 15th May 2018.

IFIP (International Federation for Information Processing)

A highly respected researcher and writer whose work spans topics from the big bang and how black holes work through to the nature of human consciousness, Professor Penrose has received numerous awards for his theories and discoveries. A close associate of Stephen Hawking for many years, he shared with him the 1988 Wolf Prize for physics for the Penrose–Hawking singularity theorems.

Tomorrow’s Side Event will be moderated by social entrepreneur and futurist, Stephen Ibaraki, who conceived and founded the AI for Good Global Summit and who plays key leadership roles in IFIP’s ICT professionalism arm, IP3 (International Professional Practice Partnership).

The lunchtime Q&A will draw out Professor Penrose’s opinions of AI and the so-called Singularity when machine intelligence is predicted to surpass that of humans.

At tomorrow’s discussion, he will explore questions including:

Is the singularity real?
Are we truly on that trajectory or are the systems we call AI simply doing smart things?
What are the implications for our future?
Will machines really take over our jobs?
Should we allow machines to make critical decisions that endanger life or have ethical dimensions?

The IFIP Side Event will run from 1.30-2.45pm on Tuesday 15th May 2018 in Room XXVI at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. For more information or to register to attend, click here.

Professor Penrose is Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics in the University of Oxford and is currently the Francis and Helen Pentz Distinguished Visiting Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Pennsylvania State University, USA. He is also a member of the Editorial Board of The Astronomical Review and of the Advisory Board of Universe.

ENDS

About IFIP (International Federation for Information Processing)

IFIP, the International Federation for Information Processing, is the global professional federation of societies and associations for people working in Information and Communications Technologies and Sciences. Established under the auspices of UNESCO in 1960 and recognised by the United Nations, IFIP represents ICT professional associations from more than 50 countries and regions with a total membership of over half a million. It also brings together more than 3,500 scientists from industry and academia, organising them into over 100 Working Groups and 13 Technical Committees to conduct research, develop standards and promote information sharing. Based in Austria, IFIP organises and supports over 100 conferences each year, fostering the distribution of research and knowledge to academics and industry practitioners alike.

Website: http://ifip.org

Roger Penrose to Speak on “AI and Your Future” at UN CTSD in Geneva Tomorrow