Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have made modern life infinitely easier, quicker and more connected. But the limits of "smart machines" also are on display every day--self-driving cars that crash and catch fire, facial recognition and law enforcement software that are biased against minorities and those with darker skin, and algorithms that eliminate swaths of the population from home loan and credit card qualification. It's clear artificial intelligence needs reasonable boundaries, mathematician and computer scientist Moshe Vardi told those gathered for a virtual symposium, "AI & Society," Sept. 21 and 22. The problem will be reaching agreement on the methods of regulation and implementing them over time, said Vardi, who heads Rice University's Initiative on Technology, Culture and Society. The answer is, right now, that society has given up.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has opened myriad possibilities to make life better--faster, more efficient, cheaper. At the same time, using data and machines to speed things up has also increased the chances of lost human connections, missed steps in deliberation, and over-simplification of life's messiness. The Utah Informatics Initiative (UI2) and Tanner Humanities Center are hosting a virtual symposium Sept. 21 and 22 to explore the facets of AI's role in society. The University of Utah is uniquely situated as the host for these discussions, said Mike Kirby, UI2 director. The U has a notable cohort of researchers studying informatics, data science and machine learning, while working alongside interdisciplinary partners in the humanities and arts.