Dartmouth Hosts AI at 70 Conference: Examining Human Judgment and Responsibility in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Dartmouth College is set to host a national conversation on artificial intelligence this fall, marking a significant milestone in the field’s development. The conference, titled ‘AI at 70: What Must Remain Human?’, will take place from October 29-31 and bring together leaders from academia, industry, government, and the arts to discuss some of AI’s most pressing questions. As people increasingly rely on artificial intelligence for decision-making, learning, and work, concerns about human judgment and responsibility are growing.

The conference is a direct continuation of Dartmouth’s pioneering role in AI research. In 1956, the college hosted the summer workshop that launched the field of artificial intelligence, with mathematicians John McCarthy, Marvin Minsky, Nathaniel Rochester, and Claude Shannon exploring the possibilities of machine intelligence. Now, seventy years later, Dartmouth is convening a national conversation about the human choices and responsibilities arising from AI’s increasing capabilities.

The conference will feature keynote addresses by prominent figures in the field, including Mira Murati, co-founder and CEO of Thinking Machines Lab; Peter DeSantis, senior vice president at Amazon; Alan Trefler, founder and CEO of Pegasystems; and Hany Farid, a pioneer in digital forensics. Yann LeCun, a recipient of the 2018 Turing Award for his work on deep learning and computer vision, will receive the AI at 70 Award to honor his contributions to the field.

Dartmouth researchers are also presenting preliminary findings from a multi-year study examining how students’ use of AI affects their learning, confidence, judgment, and preparation for the labor market. The research aims to provide insights into the impact of AI on education and workforce development. Supported in part by The Rockefeller Foundation, which helped fund the original gathering in 1956, the conference will explore the human choices and responsibilities that arise as these systems become increasingly capable.

Among the speakers is Mira Murati, who will deliver a keynote address. As co-founder and CEO of Thinking Machines Lab, she has been at the forefront of AI research and development. Her work focuses on building intelligent machines that can learn from data and make decisions autonomously. The conference also features Peter DeSantis, senior vice president at Amazon, who is working on issues related to artificial general intelligence, chips, and quantum computing.

The event schedule highlights the next generation of AI researchers through student presentations and an AI at 70 Student Hackathon sponsored by Anthropic. Participants from Dartmouth and other institutions will build, prototype, and present solutions at the intersection of AI and human judgment. The program also includes a ‘Clips and Conversations’ event at the Hopkins Center for the Arts featuring an interactive AI demonstration and discussion on how AI is being used in the arts.

The conference marks a significant milestone in the development of artificial intelligence, and Dartmouth’s role in shaping its future cannot be overstated. As President Sian Leah Beilock notes, ‘Dartmouth started this conversation in 1956. Now we have a responsibility to continue it.’ The event is an opportunity for leaders from various fields to come together and discuss the human choices and responsibilities arising from AI’s increasing capabilities.

Dartmouth researchers are exploring how universities can evolve in the AI age with President Beilock; Bank of America Executive Vice President and CFO Alastair Borthwick, Tuck ‘93; University of Delaware President Laura Carlson ‘97; and Kristen Ellis of the U.S. Department of Energy. The panel will examine how institutions should adapt to the changing landscape of artificial intelligence.

The conference also features a session on AI and international security and conflict with Sasha Baker ‘05, OpenAI’s head of national security policy and a former acting undersecretary of defense for policy. Additionally, there is a panel on AI and the creative arts featuring Hany Farid, Donald Knuth Professor of Computation and Just Communities, who has nationally recognized work exposing deepfakes.

The event will also include a session on ethical deployment of AI in underserved communities and another on AI in medicine and biomedical research with Dartmouth professors using AI for medical education and wellness. As the conference demonstrates, universities face fundamental questions about their purpose and future as AI transforms how knowledge is created, accessed, and applied.

Dartmouth’s holistic liberal arts education makes it an ideal place to have these conversations, says Professor of Engineering Peter Chin, who leads the faculty committee responsible for planning the event. ‘The future of AI will be shaped as much by values and institutions as by algorithms,’ he notes. The conference is a testament to Dartmouth’s commitment to exploring the human implications of artificial intelligence.

The program also includes an interactive AI demonstration and discussion on how AI is being used in the arts, featuring clips from various performances and conversations with artists who are pushing the boundaries of what AI can do. A musical performance by the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra will round out the event.