Georgetown University CS Students Meet Senator Bernie Sanders and AI Pioneer Geoffrey Hinton

A group poses with Senator Sanders and Professor Hinton in front of dinner table
Post-dinner photo with Senator Sanders and Professor Hinton

Posted in News Story

On Tuesday November 18, Georgetown’s Institute of Politics and Public Service (GU Politics) hosted a conversation “AI: The Promise and the Peril” with Senator Bernie Sanders and Dr. Geoffrey Hinton, a Nobel laureate and widely-regarded as the “Godfather of AI.” During the conversation, they discussed a range of topics including our economic future in an AI-dominated world, the risks of rapid AI expansion, and what a future looks like for working Americans in this new age of artificial intelligence. (An event recap and video recording are available at this link.)

Faculty and students sitting in auditorium
CS faculty and students at “AI: The Promise and the Peril”

Following the event, GU Politics arranged for a group of students from Georgetown University’s Department of Computer Science to meet Professor Hinton. What was originally intended to be a meet-and-greet turned into something much more memorable when Hinton suggested that the group converse over dinner. They were also joined by Senator Sanders. During the dinner, computer science students and faculty discussed AI today and the role of AI in society — both the good and bad.

PhD student Kenny Ahmed described the dinner as “a rare experience to break bread with Geoffrey Hinton and have a blunt but calm conversation about how the technology he helped pioneer could seriously threaten humanity’s future if mishandled. But seeing him join forces with Senator Sanders to push for policies that protect working-class and ordinary people, and keep AI accountable to the public, made me cautiously optimistic.”

PhD student Rebecca Ansell summarized the lasting impact of the evening’s discussions: “Sharing dinner with Dr. Hinton and Senator Sanders was an unforgettable Georgetown experience. The wisdom they offered over the course of the evening will stay with me for the rest of my career.”

Computer science students tend to focus on the computational problems of the day. This was a rare opportunity for them to discuss the impacts of the algorithms and technologies they work on with leaders engaged in conversations about public safety and societal well-being.