A speaker for an upcoming AI summit wants people to be transparent about using AI and more informed.
The Stratford AI Summit: Real Skills. Real People. Real World AI, is a full-day event focused on teaching small, local businesses how to use AI practically.
The summit is Monday, Sept. 29, at Lazaridis Hall inside Tom Patterson Theatre, beginning at 9 a.m. and runs until 3:30 p.m.
One of the event speakers and founder of Camp Tech, Avery Swartz, said businesses are the focus because they’re thinking about adopting AI in the workplace.
“You just don’t want to grab one of those tools and start using it, you probably need to know a few things about how to use those tools ethically, thoughtfully, and how to use them properly in a business context,” said Swartz.
“We’re thinking about regulation, privacy, data concerns, copyright, all of those sorts of things that are really important for a business when thinking about AI adoption.”
Swartz said she and the other speakers will also touch on the big issues/concerns involving AI, including its negative impact on the environment, theft of human-made art, and accuracy.
“I’m a small business owner and I’m deeply concerned about the impact on the workforce, copyright infringement, and I’m concerned about how chatbots can create misinformation and disinformation,” said Swartz.
“We’re gonna talk about real, practical strategies for how to handle all of that and ways you can set yourself up with responsible AI principles of how you can do work with AI in a way that aligns with your values.”
She said that people should use AI in a way that is thoughtful, to think about what they’re using it for, and to think of the potential risks that come with using AI like taking work from someone else.
Swartz encourages having human oversight when using AI, how the work will be perceived, and advises being transparent about using it.
Organizers InvestStratford and Stratford Perth Centre for Business said a live panel discussion featuring multiple speakers will follow the summit.
The speakers include co-founder of Overlap Associates, Brock Hart, Account Executive for Orr Insurance, Greg Orr, and Partner for Windsor Hospitality, Shelley Windsor.
Tickets are $100.
