Are You an Algorithmic Problem? The Democratic Value of Resisting Classification

Artificial intelligence (AI) has dominated recent headlines. Books and magazine articles abound describing the transformational impact artificial intelligence will have on work and society. Few of these publications, however, have delved deeply into how algorithms and AI are affecting citizens in democratic societies. This lecture will center upon a core dilemma: How can society benefit from AI without destroying democracy? The logic of AI models and the needs of both state and market provide strong incentives to see individual citizens as "algorithmic problems" that need to be solved to increase profits or to manage citizens. In this lecture, Jose Marichal, PhD, will argue that democratic health requires that large numbers of its citizens defy algorithmic classification.

Marichal is a professor of political science at California Lutheran University, specializing in studying the role that social media plays in restructuring political behavior and institutions. His most recent work with Cal Lutheran colleagues Richard Neve, PhD, and Brian Collins, PhD, looks at the ways in which social media platforms encourage antagonistic political discourse and how they could be regulated. 

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people 50 years of age and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university-level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

Register

Register by 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25