Diane Dimond is an award-winning author, investigative journalist, syndicated columnist, and TV commentator. Her book, We’re Here to Help on the abusive and often criminal element within the nation’s guardianship/conservatorship system—the culmination of her more than eight years of investigation— is a stark look at a system that was designed to protect the nation’s at-risk population but, sadly, has morphed into a predatory playground for greedy bad actors.

In today’s world, Artificial Intelligence’s implications are not yet fully understood, so how can we leverage this technology to ensure it serves us as an asset for all?

In this closing plenary session of the MIT Solve flagship event, solvers tell stories to help us understand how we use AI systems to help build a more stable, fair and delightful world.

With:
Hala Hanna, MIT Solve
Seth Dobrin, CEO Quantum AI and Nayeema Raza, host of Mixed Signals
Pattie Maes, MIT Media Lab
Amr AboDraiaa. CEO Rology, Gatanjali Rao, UNICEF Youth Advocate, founder of Vervient Foundation & Michele Malejki. Global Head of Social Impact at HP
Smita Sharma, photojournalist and TED Fellow
Imara Jones, founder and CEO TransLash Media - Ayan Kishore - CEO Benetech, Danielle Forward, CEO and co-founder Natives Rising.
Devshi Mehrotra, CEO Justice Text

Cambridge Forum continues its series AI: Servant or Master with Greg Epstein

exploring the global worship of technology and discussing what prompted him to write Tech Agnostic. Epstein contends that technology has overtaken religion as the chief influencer in 21st Century life and community. He questions whether technology is deserving of our trust, and who profits from our uncritical faith in it? Epstein argues for tech agnosticism, not worship, and encourages us all to exert a critical freethinking perspective toward innovation, until it proves itself worthy of our faith.

He will be joined by Gideon Lichfield, journalist and science writer, former editor-in-chief of WIRED magazine and MIT Technology Review He now focuses on the future of democracy and governance which he covers in his weekly newsletter, Futurepolis.

Cambridge Forum kicks off a new series AI: Servant or Master with Professor Gary Marcus, one of the most trusted voices in artificial intelligence, well-known for his knowledge about the challenges and risks of AI.

In his latest book, 'Taming Silicon Valley: How We Can Ensure that AI Works for Us', Marcus shows how Big Tech is taking advantage of us, how AI could make things much worse, and most importantly, what we can do to safeguard our democracy, our society and our future.
Marcus explains the potential risks of AI in the clearest possible terms and how Big Tech has effectively captured policymakers. Marcus offers eight suggestions for what a coherent AI policy should cover from data rights to layered AI oversight to meaningful tax reform. In addition to being a scientist and best-selling author, Marcus was founder and CEO of Geometric.AI, a machine-learning company acquired by Uber.

Marcus is joined by an international expert on AI - Stuart J Russell, Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley. Russell is co-chair of the World Economic Forum Council on AI and the OECD Expert Group on AI Futures; he is also a US representative to the Global Partnership on AI. His textbook "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach" (with Peter Norvig) is used in over 1,500 universities in 135 countries. His current concerns include the threat of autonomous weapons & the long-term future of artificial intelligence and its relation to humanity. The latter topic is the subject of his book, "Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control".

Layla Al-Sheikh lives in Bethlehem in the West Bank. In 2002, her 6-month-old son, Qussay, became ill, and Israeli soldiers prevented her from seeking medical attention. Qussay soon died from the lack of timely treatment. 
Layla joined the Parents Circle in 2016. Following her son’s death, she never thought of revenge but rather devoted her time and energy to ensuring a better, more peaceful future for her children.

Robi Damelin, spokesperson and director of International Relations for the Parents Circle - Families Forum joined the organization after her son was killed by a Palestinian Sniper. All her work on the ground both in Palestine and Israel and internationally is geared towards non-violence and reconciliation as a means to end the occupation. Robi was named as a 2015 Woman of Impact by Women in the World.

An Israeli and a Palestinian who has lost a close family member to the conflict tell their personal stories of loss and explain their choice to engage in dialogue and reconciliation. Robi Damelin, spokesperson and director of International Relations for The Parents Circle - Families Forum joined the organization after her son was killed by a Palestinian Sniper. Layla Al-Sheikh, lives in Bethlehem in the West Bank. In 2002, her six-month-old son, Qussay became ill, and Israeli soldiers prevented her from taking him to the hospital, and he soon died from the lack of timely treatment.

The moderator is Charles M. Sennott, an award-winning author and editor with 30 years of experience in international, national, and local journalism. Previously, Sennott worked for many years as a reporter at the Boston Globe, where he became Bureau Chief for the Middle East and Europe and a leader of the paper's international coverage.

 The Parents Circle - Families Forum is a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization made up of more than 750 bereaved families. Their common bond is that they have lost a close family member to the conflict. But instead of choosing revenge, they have chosen a path of reconciliation. Through their educational activities, these bereaved members have joined together to take tens of thousands of Palestinians and Israelis on journeys of reconciliation. Learn more about the work of
The Parents Circle – Families Forum
 
American Friends of the Parents Circle – Families Forum shares the human side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the American public in order to foster a peace and reconciliation process.

Presented by Suffolk University's Ford Hall Forum, Political Science & Legal Studies Department, Communication, Journalism & Media Department, Office of Diversity, Access, and Inclusion, Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion, and The Parent’s Circle – Families Forum and the Global Citizens Circle.

Luisa Neubauer, the acclaimed German climate activist and co-founder of the school strike for climate movement in Germany, commonly referred to as Fridays for Our Future discusses her recent co-authored book, Beginning to End the Climate Crisis: A History of our Future with Sabine von Mering, director of the Center for German and European Studies and professor of German and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at Brandeis University and co-editor of the forthcoming Routledge Handbook of Grassroots Climate Activism, and a climate activist with 350Mass, and Jule Manitz, a climate justice activist with Extinction Rebellion Boston, where she plays a pivotal role in organizing and supporting impactful protests, including civil disobedience actions.

The moderator is Beth Daley, executive editor and general manager of The Conversation and a Pulitzer Prize finalist for climate reporting at The Boston Globe.

In this book, Luisa Neubauer, the best-known German climate activist, and her co-author create the history of our future. If we don’t change course now, we’ll eliminate ourselves. Politicians, entrepreneurs, citizens, everyone must take action. But how? One thing is undisputed: There is no planet B. We must inform and organize ourselves to save the future. In Beginning to End the Climate Crisis, Neubauer presents solutions that are ready to be implemented and must finally be put into practice. But she also demonstrates the attitude with which we must deal with this exceptional situation: undaunted but level-headed. And unyielding towards those who determine our future. Because the last chance for a positive end to the climate crisis is NOW.

This event is part of a new series of author events - the First Annual Book Festival- , presented by Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University and Brandeis University Press. The series is based on recently published books from Brandeis University Press and brings prominent authors to Boston to discuss topics of current and enduring interest.

Join the Paul Revere House for the final event in their 2024 Lowell Lecture Series. This three-part series focuses on the lesser-known express assignments Paul Revere completed. Speakers will share the importance of his courier work as part of a communications system that involved complex overlapping networks of leaders of all stations. The series will also explore the very practical aspects of long-distance horse journeys and the local colonial politics in key communities Revere interacted with.

Paul Revere made multiple rides to New Hampshire to pass messages between Patriot groups. The conventional narrative of the American Revolution emphasizes the role of extra-legal events in Massachusetts such as the Boston Tea Party and Stamp Act riots.  Yet, extra-legal actions were not exclusive to Massachusetts—New Hampshire had a long tradition of protest, especially when connected to timber. Laws passed by Parliament in 1708 and 1722 that claimed pine trees for the masts needed for the Royal Navy, among other items contributed to growing discontent with colonial rule, reflected in a series of demonstrations and riots through the 1700s. By late 1774, New Hampshire colonists were seizing Royal munitions.

Peter Flood, author of the 2014 Revere House Gazette article, "A Week in December – Paul Revere’s Secret Mission to New Hampshire, will join the discussion.

Presented in partnership with GBH, the Suffolk University History Department, Milton Historical Society/Suffolk Resolves House (Milton, MA), Carpenters’ Hall (Philadelphia, PA), Fraunces Tavern Museum (New York, NY), and the Portsmouth Athenaeum (Portsmouth, NH), with funding from the Lowell Institute. For more information, please contact staff@paulreverehouse.org or visit paulreverehouse.org.

Join the Paul Revere House for the second event in their 2024 Lowell Lecture Series. This three-part series focuses on the lesser-known express assignments Paul Revere completed. Speakers will share the importance of his courier work as part of a communications system that involved complex overlapping networks of leaders of all stations. The series will also explore the very practical aspects of long-distance horse journeys and the local colonial politics in key communities Revere interacted with.

Horses first appeared in New England in 1629, when Francis Higginson shipped approximately 25 mares and stallions from Leicestershire, England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Horses were central to survival in terms of work, travel, communication, and leisure. However, for New Englanders, horses were also a staple exportation commodity, and by the mid-eighteenth century New England led the way in shipping horses to the sugar colonies. Amongst the diverse types of horses that were raised in New England, the Narragansett Pacer was exceptional in many ways. The Pacer’s easy gait made it suitable for both long-distance travel and racing. The Pacer was the first “truly” American breed of horse, and it was in high demand all around the Atlantic World. However, from such promising beginnings, the Pacer was extinct by the next century. The talk will examine how the Narragansett Pacer emerged in Rhode Island in the 17th century, what made it so special as riding horse, how the breed is connected to well-known people including Paul Revere and George Washington, and how it has been memorialized in literature and art.

Presented in partnership with GBH, the Suffolk University History Department, Milton Historical Society/Suffolk Resolves House (Milton, MA), Carpenters’ Hall (Philadelphia, PA), Fraunces Tavern Museum (New York, NY), and the Portsmouth Athenaeum (Portsmouth, NH), with funding from the Lowell Institute. For more information, please contact staff@paulreverehouse.org or visit paulreverehouse.org.