AI: Beyond the Hype—Shaping the Future Together

Stephanie Dick is a historian of mathematics, computing, and the mind with a focus on artificial intelligence. For over fifteen years, she has been exploring what artificial intelligence is, what it does, and the histories that shape its character and potential today. She holds a PhD in History of Science from Harvard University and she is an Assistant Professor in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University. Stephanie is co-editor with Janet Abbate of Abstractions and Embodiments: New Histories of Computing and Society, she co-edits the “Mining the Past” column at the Harvard Data Science Review; she is co-editor of the most recent issue of the British Journal for the History of Science “Themes”: Histories of AI: A Genealogy of Power. Within the university, Stephanie’s research and teaching explore attempts to automate mathematical intelligence and theorem-proving in the 20^th century; the introduction of centralized computer databases to American policing in the 1960s; and in her most recent work, she is exploring debates about the character of the human mind at the intersection of logic, philosophy, and the occult. Outside of the university, Stephanie offers lectures, seminars and strategic guidance on AI for adopters, investors, regulators and other key stakeholders. In that vein, she is regularly invited to participate in and present at events oriented around AI and the future of the work, AI and society, AI ethics, and AI regulation and has shared her expertise in diverse venues from NPR to Prada Mode. Stephanie love science fiction and the role it can play in our exploration of all of these themes as well, and has enjoyed bringing her expertise on AI into conversations about Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, Frank Herbert's Dune, and more. She has also written a comic book about AI and the human experience, called Recognition, that is currently being illustrated by Ohio-based artist Bren Perez. Their first installment will be published in 2025. Before returning home to Canada to join the faculty at SFU, Stephanie was an Assistant Professor of History and Sociology of Science at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Junior Fellow with the Harvard Society of Fellows.

Daniel Barcay is a technologist who is passionate about the immense power and promise of technology. A builder at heart, Daniel’s career has focused on creating global-scale technologies while driving wise and responsible practices around the rollout of new tech.

Daniel was a Product Vice President at Planet Labs, where he led teams building a planetary-scale platform enabling users to extract actionable insights from a deep stack of global-daily satellite images. Prior to that, the Chief Technology Officer of Thiel Macro, where he focused on building predictive models of global-scale market phenomena.

Daniel started his career as a software engineer at Google, helping build several prominent projects including Google Earth and Latitude, as well as conducting machine learning research. He has studied leadership development, team dynamics, and adult-developmental psychology. In his leadership development practice, he teaches fellow leaders the cognitive tools to embrace complexity and thrive amidst uncertainty.

Daniel was recently a research fellow in the Antikythera Program at the Berggruen Institute - a think tank reorienting planetary computation as a philosophical, technological, and geopolitical force. In his spare time, he loves to fly various forms of powered and unpowered aircraft.

Dr. Aftab Erfan (she/her) is Executive Director of SFU Centre for Dialogue and Associate Member at SFU School of Public Policy.

Previously, she served as the City of Vancouver’s inaugural Chief Equity Officer, and Director of Dialogue and Conflict Engagement at UBC. She holds a PhD in planning from UBC, a Masters in planning from McGill University, and a BSc in environmental sciences from UBC. Aftab has extensive experience as a process designer and facilitator, specializing in hosting dialogues on contentious issues with warmth and creativity. Her experience spans 15 years and five continents. She holds numerous honours, including BC500 most influential business leaders in BC (Business in Vancouver), Research for a Better Life: The Storytellers Challenge (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council), and Best Published Paper Award Shortlist (Association of European Schools of Planning).