Lunch Lecture: ‘Modern Prometheus: AGI as the Next Grand Human Project’

Are you curious about the future of artificial intelligence? Do you want to understand how Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) could shape the trajectory of humanity?

Join visiting professor from Norway for this free lunch lecture (talk begins at 12:45h), Dr. Matthew Landers, as he pries into the myth behind our symbolic flame in relation to history and science.

In this thought-provoking presentation, Dr. Landers will begin with a critical examination of OpenAI's mission and the latent propositions within its Charter, highlighting the company's transition from a research lab to a dominant player in the AI industry, particularly after the public launch of ChatGPT.

From there he will elucidate the varying definitions of “artificial general intelligence” and situate AGI within the broader context of artificial intelligence (AI) research, tracing its conceptual development and the competing paradigms that seek to define and operationalize it.

Finally, we will explore AGI's role as a transformative force, paralleling historic projects like the Manhattan Project and the Apollo Program.

This lecture is not just about technology; it’s about understanding the profound implications AGI holds for our future—economically, philosophically, and existentially.

**All lunches are vegetarian but please note dietary preferences upon registration, and the Library will do its best to accommodate them.

About the speaker:

Dr. Matthew Landers is an Associate Professor in the Department of English Education at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. His research interests span British literature and culture of the Long-Eighteenth Century, biohumanities, history of medicine, literary studies, and critical thinking in education.  

Dr. Landers' work explores the intersections of literature, science, and education. He has published on topics such as transhumanism, the biology of free will, early modern anatomies and dissection, and the materialist dimensions of memory in Tristram Shandy. His current projects include a monograph on the novels of Olga Tokarczuk, in addition to articles addressing the future of artificial intelligence. His research group was recently awarded a major four-year grant from the Research Council of Norway to explore the influence of ethical and cultural values on the construction of education in Norway. 

Host or Publisher TU Delft Library