Artificial intelligence took center stage at last Saturday’s Tech for Global Good awards ceremony – which included the presentation of the James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award to computer scientist Fei-Fei Li, who is also known as ‘The Godmother of AI’.
Li is co-founder and co-founder of the Stanford Human-Centered AI Institute, and her work has focused on the ethical use of artificial intelligence as a force for positive change.
“Each of the Tech laureates’ work is so inspiring,” Li said in a conversation with Vilas Dhar of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. “It gives me so much hope to see the young generation tackling issues that embody so much of the best part of our humanity. All laureates are working on this concept of shared prosperity.”
Those laureates were Watsonville-based Farm-ng, which tries to help small-scale farmers with robotic machines such as tractors; First Languages AI Reality (FLAIR), which uses artificial intelligence to preserve indigenous languages before they disappear; The Berkeley-based Earth Species Project, which uses AI to understand animal communication to bridge the gap between humans and the natural world; and India-based Karya, which creates jobs for people in impoverished communities, allowing them to use their smartphones for AI-based work in their own language.
The emphasis on AI also extended to the production of the program, as the videos created to introduce the laureates used artificial intelligence – with varying degrees of success, as the audience at the Signia by Hilton hotel learned in a sometimes hilarious behind-the-hand show. scenes video.
More information about this year’s laureates can be found online at thetech.org or at the Tech for Global Good exhibit at Tech Interactive in downtown San Jose.
SILICON VALLEY READS RETURNS: Technology – and artificial intelligence – is a big part of life in Silicon Valley and increasingly around the world. And it will also be the topic for Silicon Valley Reads in 2025, which will explore the theme “Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World.”
With AI driving the rapid transformation of our lives, the goal of this year’s program is to get people talking about what that transformation could mean.
“We’re excited to offer books and programs that spark conversations about the potential of AI and help everyone better understand and use these powerful tools,” said Santa Clara County District Librarian Jennifer Weeks. co-chair of Silicon Valley Reads.
Three major titles were selected for the program, which begins with a kickoff event Jan. 30 at De Anza College: “The Mountain in the Sea,” a science fiction story by former Santa Clara University professor Ray Nayler; Loneliness & Company,” a novel by Charlee Dyroff about a woman tasked with training an AI companion in nearby New York, where isolation has seemingly been eradicated; and “The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration and Discovery at the Dawn of AI,” by Dr. Fei-Fei Li, in which the Stanford computer scientist shares her personal journey and insights into the development and potential of AI.
The selections for younger readers are “Someday, Maybe” by Diana Murray, “ARTificial Intelligence” by David Biedrzycki, and “The Wild Robot” by Peter Brown, which was recently adapted into a popular animated film. The middle grade/YA selections are Lindsay Lackey’s “Farther Than the Moon” and Wendy Xu’s graphic novel “The Infinity Particle.”
A range of Silicon Valley Reads events – including author talks, panel discussions, demonstrations, story times and more – will take place in February and March 2025. The full schedule should be available just after the new year at siliconvalleyreads.org.
SLIP IN A SHORT: When Bill Hargreaves and Sinohui Hinojosa launched the San Jose International Short Film Festival in 2009, we were still in the infancy of YouTube and TikTok was just the sound a bell made. But as the festival rolls out its 16th edition at Santana Row on Thursday, it’s pretty clear that short films – which last between 2 and 30 minutes – have found their place in society.
The festival at the CineArts theater will screen more than 130 short films through Sunday, packed into 20 screening blocks. The opening night event, which starts at 7pm, will include a diverse selection of six films and will be followed by an after-party at Suspiro. More information about the line-up and tickets can be found at www.sjsff.com.
