Date(s) -Saturday, April 11, 2026
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Location: Nanoose Place Community Centre
Categories
The Alien in the Machine: Artificial Intelligence – Risks and Ethics
Saturday, April 11, 2026
As AI tools continue to evolve with increasing claims of complexity and fewer and fewer guardrails, there are also increasing concerns that humanity as we knew it, even three years ago, is no longer in our hands. Are we doomed? Is OpenAI our Skynet? Who is calling the shots, if not us? Digging into the embedded prevalence of AI tools in spaces and places with devices and data – primarily large language models (LLMs) – there is a growing list of ethical considerations:
- the global reliance on the surveillance economy
- media manipulation for personal, political and criminal gain, including a steep rise in hate,
harassment and fraud - a social and cultural erasure, dubbed ‘Digital Colonialism’, and a ballooning access inequity
- environmental catastrophizing and real catastrophes.
Who is responsible for these impacts? What do we do about them, if anything? How does one step into the epic flood of technological evolution and navigate the waters safely? Join us for this Saturday presentation to sift fact from fiction, as we explore the ethics behind the risks, benefits and opportunities of Artificial Intelligence in our time.
Presenter: Dr. Joanna Hesketh is a media psychologist and educator with nearly two decades of experience tracking the evolution of the digital landscape. She blends a rigorous academic background, including a Ph.D. in media psychology, MBA in marketing, and a BA in English and Liberal Studies. Joanna is a professor in Marketing and Technology at VIU. Joanna’s expertise lies at the intersection of technology, human behaviour, and societal impact. She has a deep understanding of the trade-offs between convenience and identity as we choose to adopt new technologies. In her work both as a consultant to industry and as a professor at VIU, Joanna addresses ethical concerns surrounding our adoption of artificial intelligence technologies, including LLMs.
Inperson Registration: $10.00 GST included *CASH at the door
Online Registration: https://app.amilia.com/store/en/MIEC/api/Activity/Detail?activityId=ym0z61n
Schedule: On Saturday, April 11, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Location: Nanoose Place Community Centre; 2925 Northwest Bay Road, Nanoose Bay, BC, V9P 9E6