Postdoc RCR/Ethics Seminar: A non-traditional AI and Ethics Topical Discussion
Speaker:
Rick L. Stevens, PhD
Professor of Computer Science, University of Chicago
Associate Laboratory Director of the Computing, Environment and Life Sciences Directorate
Argonne Distinguished Fellow, Argonne National Laboratory
Topic:
A non-traditional AI and Ethics Topical Discussion
Bio:
Part quantum theorist, part AI strategist, and part national laboratory futurist, Rick Stevens is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Chicago and the Associate Laboratory Director of the Computing, Environment and Life Sciences (CELS) Directorate and Argonne Distinguished Fellow at Argonne National Laboratory. His research spans the computational and computer sciences from high-performance computing architecture to the development of tools and methods for bioinformatics, cancer, infectious disease, and other challenges in science and engineering — all in the service of unlocking the next leap in scientific discovery. Moving effortlessly between biology, materials science, supercomputing, and macroeconomics, he spends his weekends camping under the stars… or calculating optimal shielding for a fusion starship.
Seminar Description:
Please join me for an interactive discussion of some of the most interesting topics in AI and ethics today. These topics extend beyond fairness and bias to include emerging concerns about sentience uncertainty and the moral status of AI systems, the outsourcing of moral responsibility to algorithms, and the ethics of digital self-determination, where individuals and communities seek agency over how their data and digital identities are shaped. Novel debates center on invisible harms like the erosion of social trust or subtle shifts in norms, ethical debt embedded in legacy data and models, and the intergenerational consequences of locking in technical and governance choices that will constrain future societies. If time permits, we will consider a few other cutting-edge topics including ecological and non-human ethics (accounting for AI’s environmental footprint and its broader impact on ecosystems), pluralistic ethics that accommodate non-Western and diverse value traditions, and the ethics of AI in creative, cultural, and spiritual contexts, where questions of authenticity, appropriation, and meaning become central.
Date & Time:
Tuesday, October 14, 2025 at 2:30pm
Location:
J-103, first floor conference room in the Medical Center (58th and Ellis), across from the J elevators
Organized by:
BSD Postdoctoral Affairs, University of Chicago
For more information:
Please contact Laurie Risner, PhD, Director, Postdoc Affairs, at lrisner1@bsd.uchicago.edu.
All postdocs are encouraged to attend to receive NIH RCR credit, especially those on T32 or other fellowships.