The Turing Lectures: Addressing the risks of generative AI

As generative AI becomes increasingly sophisticated, its potential to revolutionise the way we interact with data is clear. It has already shown its ability to assist with tasks such as image and video synthesis, text and speech generation, and music composition. However, the rapid development of generative AI models has also raised concerns about their misuse, particularly in the context of disinformation campaigns, deepfakes and online harassment.

Are generative AI models moving too fast for regulation to keep up? Will the development of generative AI outpace our ability to ensure their responsible use?

In this lecture, Dr Mhairi Aitken will examine what this means for online and offline safety and discuss how society might be able to mitigate these risks.

Mhairi Aitken is an Ethics Fellow in the Public Policy Programme at The Alan Turing Institute, and an Honorary Senior Fellow at Australian Centre for Health Engagement, Evidence and Values (ACHEEV) at the University of Wollongong in Australia. She is a Sociologist whose research examines social and ethical dimensions of digital innovation particularly relating to uses of data and AI. She was included in the 2023 international list of “100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics”.

This lecture is part of a series of events - How AI broke the internet - that explores the various angles of large-language models and generative AI in the public eye.

This series of Turing Lectures is organised in collaboration with The Royal Institution.