Artists, engineers, academics, designers and computer scientists will come together on Monday 12^th November for the first ‘Belief in A.I.’ conference at Dubai Design District. A key element of this year’s Global Grad Show, in partnership with the Investment Corporation of Dubai, the conference will address the complex and challenging subject of Artificial Intelligence; where it is now, how it is interpreted in different cultures and where it could take us in the future.

Guests from organisations working in the fields of automation, urban development, infrastructure, transport and aviation will attend the Belief in A.I. conference, which will aim to challenge commonly- held assumptions about the nature of Artificial Intelligence and our relationship to it.

Co-curated by Ben Vickers, Chief Technology Officer of the Serpentine Galleries in London, and Kenric McDowell who leads the Artist + Machine Intelligence program at Google Arts & Culture, the line-up of speakers includes some of the world’s leading philosophers and academic minds from leading universities. Consisting of a series of keynotes, talks, panel discussions, presentations and performances from those working in the field, the conference will examine how the underlying beliefs of a person, nation, company or religion, shape and influence the development of a technology. Topics that will be explored, include: Creative Machines and their Human Collaborators, Education in the Age of Automation, Designing for Intelligence and the Future of A.I in Dubai.

Ben Vickers, Chief Technology Officer, Serpentine Galleries, London said; “We recognise that we live in a moment where design choices made to a simple user interface can change the lives of over a billion people simultaneously, impacting the way they think, how they interact and the realities they produce in the world. The aim of the conference is to analyse this new phase of development in technology that includes the creation and introduction of A.I., and where in some cases control of the decision-making process is being handed over entirely to non-human entities.”

Experts on the speaker panel will include Rana Dasgupta, British Indian novelist and named one of Britain’s best novelists under 40; Benjamin Bratton, American sociologist, architectural and design theorist, known for his writing on the cultural implications of computing and globalization; Yuk Hui, philosopher and one of the foremost contemporary theorists on digital technology; Noah Raford, the Chief Operating Officer of the Dubai Future Foundation; and one of the most influential figures in the world of art, Hans Ulrich Obrist, artistic director of the Serpentine Galleries, London.

Brendan McGetrick, Curator, Global Grad Show, added: “A.I. is a powerful, poorly understood technology, and its application is now defined by narrow interests. It holds immense potential value to governments and corporations; as their citizens and customers, we’ll have to reckon with A.I. one way or another. At this still early stage, it’s essential that we examine exactly whose notion work or play, health or happiness we’re adopting when we allow this technology to infiltrate our daily lives.”

Douraid Zaghouani, Chief Operating Officer, Investment Corporation of Dubai, commenting on the conference, said: “‘Belief in AI’ is a major highlight of the programme for this year’s Global Grad Show and offers a unique forum for exploring the role of technology in design. Taking place in Dubai, a city synonymous with enabling innovation and championing ambitious design, the conference is the ideal setting for exploring AI and the role it plays in creativity, design, and art.”

Belief in A.I. conference will be held as part of Global Grad Show during Dubai Design Week. Both events are owned and managed by Art Dubai Group. Taking place at Dubai Design District, building 4, the Belief in A.I. conference will be streamed live on Facebook @GlobalGradShow. To register your interest, and be part of the debate email: RSVP@globalgradshow.com