MIT Generative AI Week reflects our conviction that MIT has a special responsibility to help society come to grips with the tectonic forces of generative AI – to understand its potential, contain its risks, and harness its power for good. Our objective is to spotlight the insights of our MIT researchers, stimulate thoughtful analysis, and engage in critical dialogues on the implications and possibilities of generative AI in our ever-shifting landscape.
This week of events aligns with MIT's dedication to the wider emphasis across campus on generative AI and climate tech, as underscored in President Kornbluth's recent email.
The week will kick off with a flagship symposium, MIT Generative AI: Shaping the Future, on November 28, 2023 a full day of events featuring plenary sessions and keynotes delivered by MIT’s own Professor Rodney Brooks, who will illuminate the future horizon of where robotics and generative AI intersect, and renowned media artist and director Refik Anadol, who will discuss the interplay between generative AI and art, including approaches toward data sculpting and digital architecture in our physical world.
This event has concluded. See event videos.
November 28
MIT Generative AI: Shaping the Future Symposium | November 28 | 8:00 AM Breakfast, Session 9:00 - 5:15 PM | Kresge Auditorium | Chaired by Professor Daniela Rus, and co-chairs Professor Cynthia Breazeal and Professor Sertac Karaman
Step into the future with MIT's Generative AI Week, an extraordinary public expedition into the heart of artificial intelligence, featuring MIT experts exploring foundations, applications, and the critical ethical dilemmas that shape our social fabric. Sessions include:
- 9:00 AM Opening Remarks - President Sally Kornbluth & Professor Daniela Rus
- 9:15 AM Keynote 1 - Rodney Brooks
- 10:45 AM Gen AI Foundations
- 11:30 AM The Future is Now
- 1:00 PM Keynote 2 - Refik Anadol
- 2:00 PM Gen AI Applications
- 3:45 PM Gen AI, Ethics, and Society
- 5:00 PM Paul Winter, Lullaby for a Whale
- 7:00 PM Another Body Documentary Screening
After the MIT Generative AI: Shaping the Future Symposium, you are invited to join a screening of the Another Body documentary at 7:00 PM. Let us know if you plan to attend by registering here.
Over the following two days, four half-day, limited-capacity thematic symposia will delve into diverse applications of generative AI in areas including human and planetary health, creativity, business and finance, and education.
November 29
Generative AI + Education Symposium | November 29 | 8:00 AM Breakfast, Session 8:45 AM-12:30 PM | Schwarzman College of Computing | Chaired by: Professor Cynthia Breazeal and Professor Christopher Capozzola
Generative AI is already challenging educators and students to rethink how we teach and learn in the classroom and beyond.
Drawing from the extended MIT community of faculty, research staff, students, and colleagues, this symposium offers thought-provoking keynotes, panel conversations, and live demonstrations of how generative AI is transforming learning experience and teaching practice from K12, post-secondary education, and workforce upskilling.
Key questions framing this event include: what role could and should generative AI play—both in and beyond the classroom—in supporting effective, engaging, and equitable learning for people of all ages? What tasks confront educators seeking to equip learners for a world in which generative AI is ubiquitous?
The workshop concludes with an innovation showcase where attendees can engage directly with demos of the latest in MIT research and ingenuity.
Generative AI + Health Symposium | November 29, 12:30 PM Lunch, Sessions 1:30 - 4:30 PM | Koch Institute Auditorium | Chaired by: Professor Raffaele Ferrari, Professor Polina Golland, Professor Amy Keating, and Professor Elsa Olivetti
The symposium will highlight MIT AI research focused on the health of people and the health of the planet. Talks will illustrate progress in molecular design and sensing applications to advance human health, as well as work to improve climate-change projections, increase efficiency in mobility, and design new materials. A panel discussion will highlight anticipated impacts of AI in these areas.
November 30
Generative AI + Creativity Symposium | November 30 | 8:00 AM Breakfast, Session 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM | MIT Media Lab | Chaired by: Professor Dava Newman and Professor John Ochsendorf
World leading faculty experts, researchers, and students explore questions that allow us to peer into the future—imagining our lives in a world where generative AI-enhanced systems and techni;ques improve the human condition.
- How might combined human + AI systems make more creative, and better decisions than either one alone?
- How can fostering lifelong creativity, using a new generation of tools, methods, and experiences help society
- envision, explore, and implement a more joyful, artful, meaningful, and equitable future?
- How do we make AI legible and trustworthy?
- How can we engage an unprecedented combination of diverse stakeholders to inspire and support creative thinking, expression, and computation empowering all people?
Generative AI + Impact on Commerce Symposium | November 30 | 12:15 PM Lunch, Sessions 12:45-5:00 PM | Location: Lunch - Ting Foyer, Sessions - Wong Auditorium | Chaired by Professor Vivek Farias, Professor Simon Johnson
This symposium will explore the impact of AI on the practice of management. We will hear from a curated set of researchers at MIT; policymakers actively working on legislation to ensure that AI is deployed in a manner that is fair and healthy for the consumer; venture capitalists investing in cutting-edge AI technology; and private equity investors who are looking to use AI tools as a competitive advantage.
The above in-person sessions will be recorded and made available online after the event, however, MIT Generative AI week will not be webcast. We hope you will join us on campus for these sessions.