Societal Impacts of AI: An Undebate with Misha Glouberman

OUR FIRST PUBLIC UNDEBATE: SOCIETAL IMPACT OF AI
We are hosting our first public undebate, on June 28, 2023. The event will take place a few days after the Munk debate on AI risk.

We’ll be asking: Will AI transform our economy and our society in the next few years? Is it overhyped?

The event will be recorded as a full-length episode of the popular podcast, “You Are Not So Smart” with David McRaney.

WHAT’S WRONG WITH DEBATE?
We’re polarized. Debate is often called for as the antidote. But debate itself is tremendously polarizing. It’s a competition where one side wins and the other loses.

What we’ve learned from social psychology, and from experience, is that debate often makes polarization worse. It can lead to defensiveness, to digging in on opinions, and to people caring more about their side’s victory than about learning or resolving differences.

WHAT’S AN UNDEBATE?
We’re introducing the idea of a public “undebate”. Like a debate, it starts with disagreement. But instead of pitting the participants against each other to ask “who’s right” it gets them to work together to ask “why do we see things differently?” An undebate doesn’t shy away from strong opinions or disagreement; it approaches them head-on with rigour and genuine curiosity.

Misha Glouberman has made a career of helping companies overcome their biggest challenges by undebating tough issues and disagreements. We’re building on this experience to bring undebates to public discourse.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
The un-debaters will be Joel Blit and Viet Vu. Joel Blit is a renowned economist specializing in innovation and policy, holding positions as an Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo and a Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. His expertise is highly sought after by policymakers, and his impactful research on innovation economics has been prominently featured in prestigious media outlets such as The Economist and CBC. Viet (he/him) is a leading economist who serves as the Manager of Economic Research at the Dais. With a strong focus on the impact of technology in the labor market, his influential work at the Brookfield Institute, cited widely in national media, has shaped policies at all levels of government and emphasized the importance of inclusivity in the field of economics.

Learn more about our speakers here.

ABOUT MISHA
Misha Glouberman is a consultant who helps organizations solve their biggest and most important problems by talking productively about differences. He is the host of The Trampoline Hall Lecture Series and the co-author (with Sheila Heti) of The Chairs Are Where the People Go, which The New Yorker chose as a top non-fiction book of the year, calling it “A triumph of conversational philosophy”.

EVENT DETAILS & TICKETS
Wednesday, June 28
Admission $40 +HST & Fees
Doors open at 6:00PM drinks available in the lobby
The event starts at 6:30PM

The undebate will run for about 90 minutes, followed by a reception with refreshments.

The event will include opportunities for short conversations with other audience members