From AI to Human Engineering: Governing the Ethical Future of Technology and Humanity

The rise of Artificial Intelligence in the form of generative AI is demonstrating the ability of machine intelligence to transform virtually every aspect of our global society. Intelligent machines can now assist in diagnosing disease, tutoring students in advanced subjects, and even discovering new research insights across multiple fields of study. At the same time, advances in genomic research and genetic engineering are yielding extraordinary possibilities in health care and biotech. There is every indication that these areas of technology innovation will not only continue their advance but also intersect to create unprecedented opportunities and challenges.

What is the future of humanity in a world shaped machine intelligence and genetically engineered humans? How is innovation blurring the boundary between the natural and the artificial? What will become of the massive wealth that technology might create? As our global society evolves beneath the weight of god-like technology and fragile social institutions, how will we govern the ethical future of technology?

In this talk, Sylvester Johnson will examine the global dimensions of technology innovation to explain the future intersection of AI and human engineering. From eradicating genetic diseases to augmenting human cognition and creativity, the fusion of AI and genetic engineering holds the promise to elevate humanity to new heights. These changes also threaten to upturn fundamental assumptions about humanity and the environment. Drawing on his experience as a human-centered technologist and founding CEO of a public benefit company, Johnson will suggest a possible way forward for governing the uncertain future of a technological society.

Sylvester A. Johnson is the 2024 Kluge Chair in Technology and Society at the Kluge Center in the Library of Congress and is the founding CEO of the Corporation for Public Interest Technology, a public benefit company whose mission centers on making technology accountable to public interest and social justice. He is also Professor of Black Studies at Northwestern University. Johnson formerly served as Associate Vice Provost for Public Interest Technology and Executive Director of the “Tech for Humanity” at Virginia Tech, where he was the founding director of the Center for Humanities. His research has examined religion, race, and empire in the Atlantic world; religion and sexuality; national security practices; and the impact of intelligent machines and human enhancement on human identity and race.

Center for Applied Ethics | Website | View More Events
Co-hosted with: Philosophy Club

Contact the organizers