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McGill launches Collaborative for AI and Society
New efforts to mobilize around the challenges and opportunities of AI are taking shape at McGill. On December 4, a new McGill Collaborative for AI & Society (McCAIS) held an internal launch event at the McGill Faculty Club, where more than 70 participants from across the McGill campus gathered for an afternoon of collaboration and discussion.
The event was facilitated by Professor Golnoosh Farnadi, McCAIS Co-director, and Professor Eric D. Kolaczyk, Director of the Computational and Data Systems Initiative (CDSI), which hosts McCAIS. Attendees included Dean of Music Sean Ferguson, Dean of Arts Lisa Shapiro, Dean of Science Bruce Lennox, Dean of Desautels Faculty of Management Yolande Chan, Dean of the School of Continuing Studies Carola Weil, and Interim Dean of Education Victoria Talwar.
“While initially viewed as a technology to be developed and advanced by a selected group with specific backgrounds in AI, the noticeable effects of AI on all aspects of society, along with its potential risks and harms, have convinced me that we need to reconsider our approach to AI,” Farnadi said. “McCAIS represents a collaborative effort to bridge this gap, advocating for interdisciplinary research across universities to ensure that all perspectives from diverse backgrounds are considered and welcomed in the development of AI.”