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Science and Religion: Being Human in the Age of AI: A Symposium

  • Popovich Halll (JKP) 300 611 West Exposition Boulevard Los Angeles, CA, 90007 United States (map)

Co-hosted by the Nova Forum for Catholic Thought & USC Marshall School of Business

How should human beings relate to AI? How does the increasing presence of AI change how we relate to each other? Join us for a conversation at the intersection of religion, ethics, and the tech industry as we explore these questions. Our keynote speaker, Professor Noreen Herzfeld, has written four books on the ethics of AI over the last twenty years, combining her expertise in computer science and theology. 

Panel 1: Human Identity and Creativity: Between Computers and God (12:30-1:50pm with lunch)

-Respondent: Scott Roniger (Loyola Marymount University)

 Panel 2: AI and Human Relationships: The Problem of Authenticity (4:00-5:30pm followed by reception)

-Respondent: Ravi Iyer (Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making & Psychology of Technology Institute)

Noreen Herzfeld, Ph.D., is the Nicholas and Bernice Reuter Professor of Science and Religion at St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. Herzfeld teaches courses in both computer science and theology. She is the author of several books, including In Our Image:  Artificial Intelligence and the Human Spirit (2002), and, most recently, The Artifice of Intelligence: Divine and Human Relationship in a Robotic Age (2023).

Scott Roniger, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he currently holds the Fr. Robert H. Taylor, SJ Chair in Philosophy and directs the Lonergan Center for Catholic Faith and Culture.

Ravi Iyer, Ph.D., is currently the Research Director for the USC Marshall School's Neely Center and he helps manage the Psychology of Technology Institute. Previous to this role, he led data science, research, and product teams across Facebook toward improving the societal impact of social media. He also was a cofounder and the initial Chief Data Scientist of Ranker.com.

This Event is made possible by the support of ‘In Lumine: Supporting the Catholic Intellectual Tradition on Campuses Nationwide’ (Grant #62372) from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in any publications, videos, lectures, etc. associated with this project are those of the author(s) or speaker(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

Earlier Event: February 1
Feeding the Hungry, Caring for Creation
Later Event: February 24
Nova Forum Seminar: The Body as Gift