After a magnificent* 13.8 billion years** astronomer Chris Lintott (Sky at Night) and Steve Pretty (Hackney Colliery Band) lead a funeral and wake for the universe, as it sadly heads into heat death. ...

As part of a seed grant project funded by the AIAI Network, Damien P. Williams, assistant professor of Philosophy and Data Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, will present his research on the intersection of AI and religious belief and practice. This event is free and open to the public. Dr. Damien Patrick Williams is an Assistant Professor of Data Science and Philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he teaches and researches how technologies such as algorithms, machine intelligence, and biotechnologies are impacted by the values, knowledge systems, philosophical explorations, social structures, and even religious beliefs of human beings. Damien has a PhD in Science, Technology, and Society from Virginia Tech, and an MA from Georgia State University in Philosophy and Religious Studies, specializing in the intersection of philosophy and the comparative study of religion, with a focus on occult theory and method. Damien's realms of expertise have led to him serving on the boards of non-profit organizations such as the Center for Democracy and Technology, and the Disability Inclusion Fund, and consulting for several universities and research and development groups such as Olin College and SRI International. He has been interviewed for multiple podcasts, news outlets, and popular publications, including TIME Magazine, and been invited to speak at dozens of international conferences. All of Damien’s research is concerned with how the knowledges and experiences of marginalized peoples affect and should be centered within the technosocial structures of human societies.