Groundbreaking Conference on AI and the Future of Work Offers Hope for a More Sustainable Future
Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) has concluded its much-anticipated ninth Hiwaraat conference, “A.I. Uprising: Opportunities and Challenges for the Future of Work and its Impact on the Environment.”
Held in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, the
event brought together world-renowned experts and visionaries to
understand the future of work by looking at the intersection of
humanity’s most pressing challenges: the environmental crisis and the
rapidly evolving landscape of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
In his opening address, GU-Q Dean Safwan Masri underscored the
importance of bringing a multidisciplinary approach to considering the
effects of AI on planetary and social systems, saying “Within
Georgetown’s Jesuit tradition lies our age-old belief that work is a
calling, and stewardship of the environment a shared
responsibility–principles that shape today’s conference,” he said,
adding: “AI has forced us to reconsider who we are…standing at the
threshold of either elevating humanity to heights we have never
imagined, or unraveling the very threads that bind us.”
Keynote speaker Dr. Moriba Jah, Professor of Aerospace Engineering and
Engineering Mechanics at the University of Texas at Austin, set the
stage for a day of insightful discussions, saying: “Our collective
actions and decisions have put us on a path of self-extinction… but
there is hope.” His address offered insight into how we can augment our
intelligence by using machines to process data that we can interpret to
make better choices, “We need to see machines as collaborators, we
cannot achieve sustainability without them,” Dr. Jah said, concluding:
“Power resides in our choices.”
