January 14|25 2018
The future of blurred boundaries between humans and machines is a recurrent theme in science fiction. This future is today.
Join us for two weeks of discussions, lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and cultural and recreational events that will inspire our shared vision for a brighter, human-machine future.
Is the future human?
Sensors monitor our state, health and behavior, relaying this data to configure a digital signature that is as much part of us as our biometric traits. Fed at petabyte levels, our digital signatures allow increasingly powerful machine learning algorithms to learn from the continuous data streams we generate and anticipate our needs and behaviors as consumers.
Machine learning algorithms can increasingly mimic the function of our brain and will soon establish a direct interface that allows for the seamless control of robots. Robots are endowed with powerful sensorial capacities in order to interact with other humans, as well as their robotic avatars, through virtual networks that may eventually replace much of our human-to-human interactions.
While this human-machine future offers to bring about unlimited potential, it also creates risks—of losing our privacy and the social traits inherent to our human nature. We live in a world where machines are increasingly embedded in our everyday lives. Machines shape our individual identities, social interactions, and society as a whole. During the 2018 Winter Enrichment Program (WEP), we invite you to immerse yourself in a diverse and stimulating program, touching on the opportunities and risks of a future where the boundaries between machines and humans will become even more diffuse.
An international mission to explore, in depth, the Saturnian system –the planet Saturn and its magnetosphere, glorious rings, and many moons- begun over 27 years ago. After seven years of deve ... more
A keynote lecture by Fahad A. Alsherehy
Location: Bldg. 20 Auditorium ≤ 912
A keynote lecture by Fahad A. Alsherehy, VP- Technology & Innovation, SABIC. *Speaker to be confirmed SABIC is a global leader in diversified chemicals headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia ... more
The Past, Present and Future of Human Computer Interaction
Location: Bldg. 20 Auditorium ≤ 912
Human Computer Interaction (HCI) focuses on how people interact with, and are transformed by computation. Our current technology landscape is changing rapidly. Interactive applications, devices ... more
A Career with Purpose: Push Your Boundaries and Let Them Be Pushed
Location: Bldg. 20 Auditorium ≤ 912
A keynote lecture by Nasser Al-Nafisee, VP of Corporate Affairs for Saudi Aramco. Saudi Aramco is the state-owned oil company of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a fully integrated, global ... more
Engineering an Affordable Self-Driving Car: My Personal Journey
Location: Bldg. 20 Auditorium ≤ 912
"More than a million people die in car accidents each year, and most of those accidents are the result of human error” Alexandru Budisteanu is 23 years old and owns a group of startups inc ... more
The Age of Human-Robot Collaboration: Deep Sea Exploration
Location: Bldg. 20 Auditorium
Deep Sea Exploration The promise of oceanic discovery has intrigued scientists and explorers for centuries, whether to study underwater ecology and climate change, or to uncover natural resources and ... more
New insights to the fast paced world of hacking and cyber security James Lyne will deliver an accessible and lively keynote lecture reviewing the latest trends in cyber security. Learn what new ... more
What Art Can Tell Us About the Brain
Location: Bldg. 20 Auditorium ≤ 912
What Art Can Tell Us About the Brain Artists have been doing experiments on vision longer than neurobiologists. Some major works of art have provided insights as to how we see; some of these insights ... more
Energy, Money and Technology - From the Lens of the Superorganism
Location: Bldg. 20 Auditorium
How will we react to the upcoming energy era? If we consider that a barrel of oil contains the same energy as 4.5 years of human muscle labor, our future access to energy will define what we ca ... more
Networks of Systems and Society The emergence of large networked systems has brought about new challenges to researchers and practitioners alike. While such systems perform well under normal operatio ... more
