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AI-Risk

How To Make A.I. Safe – Aug 1

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Artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly, demonstrating success in multiple areas in recent years. But by their very nature, AI problems don't have definitive correct solutions. Programs can give wrong answers, be unfairly biased against some groups, and can be hard to understand. Dr. Peter Norvig literally wrote the book on artificial intelligence. In this informal presentation, Dr. Norvig will discuss the promise and peril of AI, welcoming attendee input.

Dr. Peter Norvig is Director of Research at Google, and he is a Fellow at Stanford's Human-Centered AI Institute. Peter is co-author (with Stuart Russell) of Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, the leading textbook in the field, and he is a member of the Wonderfest Advisory Board.


Dr. Peter Norvig

WHAT: How To Make A.I. Safe
WHO: Dr. Peter Norvig, Director of Research, Google [https://norvig.com]
WHERE: HopMonk Tavern, 224 Vintage Way, Novato CA 94945 [https://www.hopmonk.com/novato]
WHEN: 2023-08-01 — 7pm, Tuesday, Aug 1 (1.5 hour)
HOW:

Since Wonderfest is COVID-cautious, consider wearing a mask (provided upon request). The warm feeling of Wondernaut(!) camaraderie radiates through masks and across wide seat-spacing.

This event is FREE and unticketed ... and valuable. But what value does it have for YOU? Accordingly, please consider a donation to nonprofit Wonderfest via the Eventbrite window, below.


PandemicsUpdate

Pandemic(s) Update – July 25

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The SARS-CoV-2 virus has killed 7 million people. (16% of those deaths were in the US, yet we have only 4% of global population!) Last century, the influenza virus killed more than 20 million. Humankind may face famine, war, and disease for centuries to come, but we are learning to lessen the death toll. Dr. Robert Siegel, infectious disease expert at Stanford, will discuss the progress that we've made — and must extend — against COVID and other, future, scourges. Welcoming attendee questions, he will address our growing understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its affects on the human mind and body.

Dr. Robert Siegel is Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Stanford University, and he is a member of the Wonderfest Advisory Board. Dr. Siegel has won numerous awards for his teaching at Stanford, and has given hundreds of public service interviews on radio and TV.


Dr. Robert Siegel

WHAT: Pandemic(s) Update
WHO: Dr. Robert Siegel, Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford [https://profiles.stanford.edu/robert-siegel]
WHERE: HopMonk Tavern, 224 Vintage Way, Novato, CA 94945 [https://www.hopmonk.com/novato]
WHEN: 2023-07-25 — 7pm, Tuesday, July 25 (1.5 hr)
HOW:

This event is FREE and unticketed ... and valuable. But what value does it have for YOU? Accordingly, please consider a donation to nonprofit Wonderfest via the Eventbrite window, below.


AstroForEarth

Astronomy for Earth – June 20

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The past few decades of astronomical discovery have been breathtaking: thirty years of awe-inspiring images from two Space Telescopes (Hubble & Webb), thousands of planets found circling nearby stars, mind-bending and spacetime-bending gravity waves and, quite recently, a stunning image of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. What is the value of all of these discoveries? Can learning about our place in the Universe inspire us, as Carl Sagan put it, to preserve and cherish the Pale Blue Dot?

Our speaker, Dr. Adrienne Cool, is Professor of Physics & Astronomy at San Francisco State University. She is also co-founder of Astronomers for Planet Earth, an international organization working to address climate change from a cosmic perspective.


Dr. Adrienne Cool

WHAT: Astronomy for Planet Earth
WHO: Dr. Adrienne Cool, Professor of Physics & Astronomy [https://astronomersforplanet.earth]
WHERE: HopMonk Tavern, 224 Vintage Way, Novato CA 94945 [https://www.hopmonk.com/novato]
WHEN: 2023-06-20 — 7pm, Tuesday, June 20 (1.5 hour)
HOW:

Since Wonderfest is COVID-cautious, consider wearing a mask; the warm feeling of Wondernaut(!) camaraderie radiates through masks and across wide seat-spacing.

This event is FREE and unticketed ... and valuable. But what value does it have for you? Accordingly please consider a donation to nonprofit Wonderfest via the Eventbrite window, below.