AI Chatbots: Promise and Problems

Richard Duda

11 a.m., April 02, 2023

Join the Humanist Forum, in person OR on Zoom.

This Sunday we are happy to have Richard Duda, Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering at San Jose State University, with us on Zoom to discuss “AI Chatbots: Promise and Problems”.

An AI chatbot with the strange name ChatGPT burst into public attention in November of last year. Ever since then, hardly a day goes by without a new article about ChatGPT or one of its competitors appearing in the news. In this presentation, you will learn what these chatbots are, what they can do, a little bit about how they do it, and what changes they might bring — both good and bad.

Richard Duda is a retired electrical engineer. He was a pioneer in pattern recognition research in the Artificial Intelligence Center at SRI International, where he worked for 18 years. He keeps aware of the amazing progress that AI has made in the last 20 years, and will share that amazement with us.

(The presentation will work much better if people have had some kind of experience with ChatGPT, even if it is vicarious.)

If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. Vaccinations and masks will be required. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom (see below).

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Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smart phone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

You can also call any of the following phone numbers and then enter the above Meeting ID and the Passcode in order to join the meeting by phone.
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You can find international phone numbers to call here.

———-

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Pseudoscience and the Law: Why Doesn’t the Government Stop the Charlatans?

Nicholas Little

11 a.m., March 26, 2023

Join the Humanist Forum, in person OR on Zoom.

This Sunday we are happy to have Nicholas Little, the vice president, general counsel, and legal director of the Center for Inquiry, with us on Zoom to discuss “Pseudoscience and the Law: Why Doesn’t the Government Stop the Charlatans?”

23/03/26 Nicholas Little from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

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You can attend our forums in person with fellow humanists in the Maple Room of the Mountain View Community Center at 201 S Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.
If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. Vaccinations and masks will be required. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom (see below).

———-

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smart phone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

You can also call any of the following phone numbers and then enter the above Meeting ID and the Passcode in order to join the meeting by phone.
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
You can find international phone numbers to call here.

———-

RSVP on Meetup here.
Like us on Facebook here.
Follow us on Twitter here.
See videos of our past Forums here.
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Why Climate Denial Still Exists in the U.S.

A video of a CNBC News report

11 a.m., March 19, 2023

Join the Humanist Forum, in person OR on Zoom.

This Sunday we will discuss a 20-minute 2020 video on “Why Climate Denial Still Exists in the U.S.”
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns caused by human activity, especially the burning of fossil fuels.
Despite overwhelming scientific evidence, some American politicians continue to deny that climate change exists, while others question the severity of its impact. But public opinion is shifting, and today even oil and gas companies publicly admit that climate change demands action. So why does climate denialism continue to influence U.S. politics? Here’s a look into who is funding the movement, and why denial is mainly a U.S. problem.
You can preview this video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1rxv1yPQrc.
The following Sunday Nicolas Little of the Center for Inquiry will talk to us on Zoom about quack medicine.

You can attend our forums in person with fellow humanists in the Maple Room of the Mountain View Community Center at 201 S Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.
If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. Vaccinations and masks will be required. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom (see below).

———-

You can attend our forums in person with fellow humanists in the Maple Room of the Mountain View Community Center at 201 S Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.
If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. Vaccinations and masks will be required. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom (see below).

———-

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smart phone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

You can also call any of the following phone numbers and then enter the above Meeting ID and the Passcode in order to join the meeting by phone.
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
You can find international phone numbers to call here.

———-

RSVP on Meetup here.
Like us on Facebook here.
Follow us on Twitter here.
See videos of our past Forums here.
Add this event to your Google Calendar

It’s OK to be Angry about Capitalism

A video of an interview of Bernie Sanders by Margaret Brennan

11 a.m., March 12, 2023

Join the Humanist Forum, in person OR on Zoom.

This Sunday we will watch and discuss an interview of Bernie Sanders by Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation, “It’s OK to be Angry about Capitalism.”
Sanders is the longest-serving independent in U.S. congressional history.
A self-described democratic socialist, he is often seen as a leader of the progressive movement in the United States.
Sanders sought the Democratic Party nomination for president of the United States in 2016 and 2020, finishing in second place in both campaigns.
You can prewatch this video at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC2TGXAxfnE.

You can attend our forums in person with fellow humanists in the Maple Room of the Mountain View Community Center at 201 S Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.
If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. Vaccinations and masks will be required. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom (see below).

———-

You can attend our forums in person with fellow humanists in the Maple Room of the Mountain View Community Center at 201 S Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.
If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. Vaccinations and masks will be required. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom (see below).

———-

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smart phone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

You can also call any of the following phone numbers and then enter the above Meeting ID and the Passcode in order to join the meeting by phone.
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
You can find international phone numbers to call here.

———-

RSVP on Meetup here.
Like us on Facebook here.
Follow us on Twitter here.
See videos of our past Forums here.
Add this event to your Google Calendar

How Identity Causes Problems in Our Society

Scott Wakefield

11 a.m., March 5, 2023

Join the Humanist Forum, in person OR on Zoom.

This Sunday, Humanist Community board member Scott Wakefield will speak to us in Mountain View about How Identity Causes Problems in Our Society.

Have you had an experience like this? When discussing a social topic with someone, you find them merely repeating things they have heard from a group that they strongly identify with. They are not interested in seeing, let alone discussing, your point of view.
Strong identity with a group symbolizing power can be worrisome. After all, democracy often caters to the groups that “play the games right”. While these groups may not have a big membership, they certainly have a big political clout, enough to get politicians to take their sides.
Does a person’s social identity interfere with rational, objective thinking?
Is this more likely to occur when the group is more powerful?
Do others behave this way? Do I?

About our speaker
Scott first moved to The Valley of Heart’s Delight in 48 years ago. (You may know it by its other name, Santa Clara Valley.) He had already heard of Sunnyvale as the home of the phone hacker Cap’n Crunch. For several years, Scott served on the Research Advisory Committee of the Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute in Palo Alto. For the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, Scott volunteered as a Case Investigator for the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. Scott’s sons live in Davis and Seattle.

23/03/05 Scott Wakefield from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

———-

You can attend our forums in person with fellow humanists in the Maple Room of the Mountain View Community Center at 201 S Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.
If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. Vaccinations and masks will be required. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom (see below).

———-

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smart phone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

You can also call any of the following phone numbers and then enter the above Meeting ID and the Passcode in order to join the meeting by phone.
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
You can find international phone numbers to call here.

———-

RSVP on Meetup here.
Like us on Facebook here.
Follow us on Twitter here.
See videos of our past Forums here.
Add this event to your Google Calendar