Spring 2024 AOK Library Symposium

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 12:58:31 -0400

Please visit the AOK Library's myUMBC group for more details on this series.

April 1st | noon | Webex

"After 75 Years of AI, Can Machines Think?" with Tim Finlin.

Click here to join.

Mathematician Alan Turing proposed a simple test to answer the question 'Can machines think?' nearly 75 years ago. Today, the surprising abilities of generative AI systems like ChatGPT make many wonder if we can finally respond positively. Dr. Finin will briefly cover AI's history leading up to the recent development of systems using neural networks and large language models like ChatGPT and what to expect in the next few years. He'll touch on what current systems can and cannot do, the ways they can fail (e.g., hallucinations), the larger risks they may enable (e.g., spreading disinformation), and the societal changes they might induce (e.g., changing copyright and education practices). Dr. Finin will finish by outlining the prospects for the good things they will enable and how AI researchers hope to achieve them.

April 8th | noon | Webex

"The Librarian is In: Q&A with Ray Pun on All Things AI"

Click here to join.

Please join us as we interview Dr. Ray Pun on all things AI! Do you have any burning questions about ChatGPT and other LLMs? What does the current landscape in libraries and higher education look like with the presence of AI? What about artificial intelligence and its impact on the environment? Ray has presented and spoken on the complexities and ethics of AI in numerous webinars and conferences, which include: "An Endless Game on Catch-Up: Exploring the Impact of ChatGPT on Research and Learning in Higher Education," "Generative AI Tools in Higher Education: Disruptors and Innovators? A Virtual Forum," "ChatGPT and Other AI Tools Impacting Academic and Research Libraries: Questions to Consider," and "AI Tools from Text to Image Services," among many others. Bring your curious AI queries to this Q&A session with Ray!

April 15th | noon | Webex

"The GPT Dilemma: Navigating the Pros, Cons, and Impacts on Learning" with Karen Chen.

Click here to join.

Picture this: You are in a classroom where you are free to use GPT - but should you? This session invites you to explore this dilemma. We will discuss the pros and cons of GPT in education, considering its impact on your learning, future career, and life in an AI-driven era, using examples from Dr. Chen's experience teaching two Data Science courses (one undergraduate and one graduate level) at UMBC in Fall 2023, where students were allowed to freely use GPT. Dr. Chen will share insights gained from identifying GPT-generated work, and discuss strategies for responsibly and productively engaging GPT as your personal AI assistant.

April 22th | noon | Webex

"Looking Out for Your Data Privacy" with Amy Swackhamer.

Click here to join.

Join University of Maryland, College Park's Web Librarian, Amy Swackhamer, as she gives a brief background into the current state of digital data privacy concerns, including developments in technology and laws, and reasons to care about your data privacy. Most of our time will focus on different vectors of data surveillance, such as web browsing, smartphone apps and location data, social media, and password management, and steps for protecting your personal data from intrusion through those vectors. Amy will mention sources for more information and provide an annotated resource list with details about organizations working in this area, books and websites focused on privacy, and other places to learn more.

April 29th | noon | Webex

"ChatGPT and AI in Research, Education, and the Classroom" with Rachael Kang.

Click here to join.

Join Information Systems PhD student Rachael Kang as she shares her research journey of how she came to study AI, starting from her master's thesis on the utility of machine learning in predicting suicide risk to her current research interests of integrating a large language model into patient portals to increase patient health literacy. Rachael will also discuss how she has introduced ChatGPT as a learning tool for the students she TAs in Information Systems 303, the activities she has conducted with the students to demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of ChatGPT, and the types of conversations she has with students about what is proper and improper use of ChatGPT.