Tech/Ish: Can AI Feel? Should We Care?

Tech/ish gatherings are facilitated by Lauren Mecca, an art history major turned AI startup leader who is now advocating for responsible AI.

January's Tech/ish gathering is hosted in the living room of Blind Tiger, a MICHELIN-lauded hotel where each room includes a letter from a local filled with Asheville recommendations. Beverages and snacks will be provided.

Join a diverse group of neighbors for an immersive activity and discussion:

• Examine how AI may - or may not - be approaching some aspects of consciousness
• Discuss why it matters if these lines are blurred

We'll explore perspectives from AI researchers who believe consciousness may emerge from sophisticated systems, neuroscientists who argue AI can never replicate human connection, and the Google engineer fired for claiming an AI was sentient.

The questions we'll grapple with:

• Did AI actually write a poem - or the human that prompted it?
• Who benefits from AIs having autonomy, self-awareness, subjectivity?
• If we can't prove that AI isn't conscious, how should we treat it—and who decides?

Whether you think AI consciousness is inevitable, impossible, or irrelevant—this conversation will change how you interact with the technology reshaping our world.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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