Berkley Center

The global struggle for technological and economic preeminence in artificial intelligence is in full swing. In the meantime, AI has begun to transform culture and society around the world. With the rapid deployment of generative AI we are moving quickly into a world in which what it means to be human—our self-identities and our most important social relationships—will increasingly be mediated by technology.

In both China and the West there are long histories of reflection on technology and its impact on human identities and interpersonal relations—in the humanities, theology, and social sciences as well as in literature and popular culture. But that reflection has not kept pace with the explosive transformation that began with the internet, social media, and smart phones and is accelerating with the ongoing AI revolution.

The symposium will convene experts from Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America to explore the human impact of the AI revolution through diverse disciplinary, artistic, philosophical, and spiritual lenses. Participants will address four related sets of questions, which are also explored in an accompanying reflection series.

Human Uniqueness. How has the emergence of AI shed light on what is distinctively human? Is human intelligence, in its complexity, qualitatively different from machine intelligence?

The Future of Intimacy. How is AI transforming our personal development and relationships with family and friends? What does “being human” mean in this new world?

Human-Machine Interaction. How can humans interact creatively with AI—in the worlds of education, art, and spirituality? Does coexistence with AI require new ethical frameworks?

The Contribution of Catholic Social Thought. Does the Church’s teaching on human dignity shed light on the challenges posed by AI? Can AI contribute to “integral human development”? 

The symposium is hosted by the Georgetown University Rome Office, in partnership with the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs; the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS, University of London); the Centre for Digital Culture, Dicastery for Culture and Education; and the China Forum for Civilizational Dialogue, a collaboration between Georgetown and La Civiltà Cattolica. It is part of the Culture of Encounter Project at the Berkley Center and builds on the work of the project Chinese Perspectives on AI in a Global Context.

Schedule 

Thursday, April 16

6:00 p.m. - 6:45 p.m. (GMT+2) Rome | Welcome Reception

6:45 p.m. - 7:05 p.m. (GMT+2) Rome | Introductory Remarks

• ​Debora Tonelli, Georgetown University
• Stefania Travagnin, SOAS, University of London

7:05 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. (GMT+2) Rome | Keynote Conversation: "The Church Engages the AI Revolution" 

• Bishop Paul Tighe, Dicastery for Culture and Education
• Thomas Banchoff, Georgetown University

Friday, April 17

9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. (GMT+2) Rome | Gathering and Coffee

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. (GMT+2) Rome |  Welcome Remarks

• Rev. Nuno da Silva Gonçalves, S.J., La Civiltà Cattolica
• Thomas Banchoff, Georgetown University
• Rev. Antonio Spadaro, S.J., Dicastery for Culture and Education

10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (GMT+2) Rome | First Session: Human Uniqueness 

How has the emergence of AI shed light on what is distinctively human? Is human intelligence, in its complexity, qualitatively different from machine intelligence?

• Magali Goirand, Australian Institute of Health Innovation
• Kai-wen Cheng, Tzu Chi University
• Angel González-Ferrer, Centre for Digital Culture, Dicastery for Culture and Education
• Guobin Yang, University of Pennsylvania

11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (GMT+2) Rome | Second Session: The Future of Intimacy

How is AI transforming our personal development and relationships with family and friends? What does "being human" mean in this new world? 

• Magali Goirand, Australian Institute of Health Innovation
• Peter Hershock, East-West Center
• Rev. Paolo Benanti, TOR, LUISS University
• Stefania Travagnin, SOAS, University of London

3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. (GMT+2) Rome | Third Session: Human-Machine Interaction

How can humans interact creatively with AI—in the worlds of education, art, and spirituality? Does coexistence with AI require new ethical frameworks? 

• Guobin Yang, University of Pennsylvania
• Yingjin Xu, Fudan University
• Heidi Campbell, Texas A&M University
• Angel González-Ferrer, Centre for Digital Culture, Dicastery for Culture and Education
• Stefania Travagnin, SOAS, University of London

4:30 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. (GMT+2) Rome | Fourth Session: The Contribution of Catholic Social Thought

Does the Church's teaching on human dignity shed light on the challenges posed by AI? Can AI contribute to "integral human development"?

• Monsignor Renzo Pegoraro, Pontifical Academy for Life
• Peter Lah, Pontifical Gregorian University
• Tongdong Bai, Fudan University
• Debora Tonelli, Georgetown University

6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (GMT+2) Rome | Closing Conversation

• Heidi Campbell, Texas A&M University
• Tongdong Bai, Fudan University
• Peter Hershock, East-West Center
• Thomas Banchoff, Georgetown University

7:00 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. (GMT+2) Rome | Public Reception