Liverpool LASER Talks - Electric Dreaming

The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and its role in creative practice and wider culture

As use of AI grows and new applications emerge, so do questions around its ethics. What are the ethical dilemmas which have emerge? How do we use AI for good? What examples are there and how do we learn more about these issues? In this LASER Talks we explore these issues from a number of perspectives including crises facing the arts sector, inclusion and the environment. Proposed solutions owe much to games culture in terms of audiences and interactive experiences. New audiences can be reached with new meaningful experiences, marginalised groups can use AI to reach beyond their challenges and entirely new approaches to protecting the natural world can emerge.

A joint event between XLab, Leonardo Laser talks and Immersive Liverpool.

HOST:
Dr Mark Wright, X-Lab at Liverpool School of Art & Design.

SPEAKERS:

Simon Wilkinson and Myra Appannah (BRiGHTBLACK)
'The Electric Dreaming Ethical AI Residency Programme'

The Electric Dreaming Ethical Ai Residency Programme has been set up by artists BRiGHTBLACK in collaboration with XLab at Liverpool School of Art and Design’s at Liverpool John Moores University and the Leverhulme Centre for the future of Intelligence at Cambridge University. Funded by Arts Council England, the programme addresses three critical challenges facing the culture sector in the UK. Finding new audiences, creating meaningful experiences and achieving sustainability. In this talk BRiGHTBLACK's Simon Wilkinson & Myra Appannah explain these challenges and how AI might be harnessed to help address them.

Willow Ritchie (Level-3)
'AI as a tool for inclusion of Neurodivergent artists'

Level-3 Festival have spent the past two years exploring use of ChatGPT and other LLMs as access tools for neurodivergent artists. In this talk Level-3 director Willow Ritchie will share some of what they have achieved in that endeavour in helping neurodivergent people bypass barriers to entry in becoming a full time professional artist in immersive media.

Professor Carl Chalmers (LJMU)
'Turning the Tide on Biodiversity Loss Using Applied Artificial Intelligence'

This talk describes the platform Conservation AI which provides advanced machine learning techniques to analyse vast quantities of data, offering invaluable insights to conservationists. Conservation AI facilitates the identification and categorisation of animals, humans, and man-made objects, particularly those indicative of poaching activities, such as vehicles. To accomplish this, we rapidly analyse imagery obtained from visual spectrum and thermal infrared cameras, commonly deployed in camera traps or on drones. By harnessing the power of AI, we strive to empower conservationists with cutting-edge tools that enable them to make informed decisions and take prompt actions in their critical efforts to safeguard our natural ecosystems. Conservation AI has ongoing test projects with Knowsley Safari Park and the Animal and Plant Health Agency in the UK, the Endangered Wildlife Trust in South Africa, and the Greater Mahale Ecosystem Research and Conservation Team. Carl Chambers is Professor in Machine Learning and Applied Artificial Intelligence at Liverpool John Moores University.

SPONSORS:

Liverpool LASER TALKS:
Liverpool LASER Talks is part of the worldwide series of Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous (LASER) Talks sponsored by Leonardo, the International Society for Art, Sciences and Technology (Leonardo/ISAST). Liverpool LASER Talks are organised by Mark Roughley and Prof Caroline Wilkinson, and supported by the MA Art in Science programme, which aims to bring artists and scientists together to explore the boundaries of art-science research and practice.

Immersive Liverpool:
Immersive Liverpool brings together people working across emerging technology (games, film, XR and more) in Liverpool. Including artists, developers, technologists, researchers, designers, content makers, businesses, freelancers and emerging talent to explore new opportunities and collaborations.