2023 Paul G. Haaga Jr. Program on American Entrepreneurship: Generative AI

Featuring digital democracy advocate Ramesh Srinivasan and digital humanities scholar Todd Presner, the 2023 Haaga Program on American Entrepreneurship tackles the rise of generative AI, focusing on the ethical implications of its aggregation of data at an unprecedented scale. The panel will address issues ranging from algorithmic bias to the question of whether computers can produce original artistic expression, as well as the conditions under which AI technologies can augment human connection, knowledge, and creativity.

Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence and Heather Hart, vice president for digital and technology, will join the presenters in a panel conversation, followed by an audience Q&A.

The Huntington invites our in-person audience to continue the conversation at a coffee and dessert reception following the program.

About the Speakers

Ramesh Srinivasan speaks about the intersection of technology, innovation, politics, business, and society. He has been a faculty member at UCLA since 2005 in the Information Studies and Design Media Arts departments. Srinivasan is the founder of the University of California Digital Cultures Lab, which examines the means by which new media technologies impact businesses, economics, cultures, politics, labor, and the environment through collaborations with global partners. He is on the board of directors for Digital Democracy, which works with land protectors in the Amazon and all around the world. He also advises One Project, New Public, numerous members of the U.S. Congress, and global leaders.

Todd Presner chairs UCLA’s Department of European Languages and Transcultural Studies, and he holds the Michael and Irene Ross Chair in the UCLA Division of the Humanities. Presner serves as special adviser in the Office of Research and Creative Activities (2018–present). Previously, he was the chair of UCLA’s Digital Humanities Program (2011–21) and also associate dean of Digital Innovation (2018–21). His forthcoming book, Ethics of the Algorithm (Princeton University Press, 2024), addresses the possibility of using computational methods in ethical and humanizing ways.

The Paul G. Haaga Jr. Program on American Entrepreneurship was created in honor of former Huntington Trustee Paul G. Haaga Jr. by his wife, Heather. The program focuses on an issue close to Paul’s heart, specifically the history and culture of American business, leadership, and innovation.