Future Proof Humans Unite: Vancouver AI Explores Consciousness & Creativity | #VAI15
The planetarium projector died halfway through Judy Illes' neuroscience presentation. Perfect metaphor for where we stand with AI – bleeding-edge tech colliding with the mundane reality of blown bulbs. One minute we're exploring brain-computer interfaces that might decode consciousness; the next, we're fumbling in the dark. That's the beautiful paradox of our Vancouver AI community – simultaneously reaching for the stars while keeping our feet planted in what makes us human.
Dr. Illes, trailblazing neuroethicist, is Professor of Neurology at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Distinguished University Scholar, UBC Distinguished Scholar in Neuroethics, and Director of Neuroethics Canada: Photography by Michelle Diamond
Last week, our latest AI meetup drew a kaleidoscope of minds to the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre. The place once famous for Pink Floyd laser shows now hosts a different kind of mind expansion. We assembled beneath the dome – data scientists sharing oxygen with artists, academics rubbing elbows with entrepreneurs, indigenous knowledge-keepers conversing with tech founders.
Vancouver AI community meetup and BC + AI events: Photography by Michelle Diamond
This wasn't just another tech meetup with sanitized pitches and LinkedIn QR code exchanges. This was humans wrestling with what it means to be human at the threshold of exponential change.
Kris Krüg, Host of Vancouver AI & CEO of TheUpgrade.ai: Photography by Michelle Diamond
Catherine Warren, whose ear is bent by government decision-makers worldwide, took the mic to share her work with Ray, crafting an ethical economy where content creators actually get paid when AI learns from their work. Revolutionary concept, I know – actually compensating people for their intellectual labor instead of just scraping it.
"We are creating an ethical economy where rights holders can, for the first time, be paid for content training AI systems," she explained, cutting through the usual rhetoric about AI with the precision of someone who's been navigating digital transformations for decades. Next week, she's off to New Zealand to consult with their government on creative and innovation economies – taking our community's vision global and hopefully connecting with Peter Lucas Jones who shared with us at the NeurIPS Meetup.