Artificial intelligence took center stage at the Tech for Global Good awards ceremony last Saturday — and that included the presentation of the James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award to computer scientist Fei-Fei Li, who’s been dubbed “The Godmother of AI.”
Li is the founding co-director of the Stanford Human-Centered AI Institute, and her work has focused on the ethical use of artificial intelligence as a force for positive change.
“Every one of the Tech laureates’ work is so inspiring,” Li said in a conversation with Vilas Dhar of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. “It gives me so much hope to see the young generation going after problems that embodies so much of the best part of our humanity. Every one of the laureates are working on this concept of shared prosperity.”
Those laureates were Watsonville-based Farm-ng, which is trying to help small-scale farmers with robotic machinery like tractors; First Languages AI Reality (FLAIR), which is using artificial intelligence to preserve indigenous languages before they disappear; Berkeley-based Earth Species Project, which uses AI to understand animal communication to bridge the gap between people and natural world; and India-based Karya, which is creating jobs for people in impoverished communities allowing them to use their smartphones for AI-based work in their own languages.
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The AI emphasis also extended into the production of the program, too, as the videos made to introduce the laureates used artificial intelligence — to varying degrees of success, as the audience at the Signia by Hilton hotel learned in a sometimes hilarious behind-the-scenes video.
You can find out more about this year’s laureates online at thetech.org or at the Tech for Global Good exhibit at the Tech Interactive in downtown San Jose.
SILICON VALLEY READS RETURNS: Technology — and artificial intelligence — is a huge part of living in Silicon Valley and increasingly around the world. And it’ll also be the topic for Silicon Valley Reads in 2025, which will explore the theme “Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World.”
With the rapid transformation of our lives spurred by AI, the goal of the program this year is to get people talking about what that transformation might mean.
“We are excited to provide books and programs that ignite conversations about AI’s potential, helping everyone better understand and engage in these empowering tools,” said Santa Clara County District Librarian Jennifer Weeks, who also co-chairs Silicon Valley Reads.
The three books selected for Silicon Valley Reads 2025, which has the theme, “Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World,” are “Loneliness & Company” by Charlee Dyroff, “The Worlds I See,” by Fei-Fei Li, and “The Mountain in the Sea,” by Ray Nayler. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
Three main titles were selected for the program, which starts with a kickoff event Jan. 30 at De Anza College: “The Mountain in the Sea,” a science fiction tale by former Santa Clara University professor Ray Nayler; Loneliness & Company,” a novel by Charlee Dyroff about a woman who is tasked with training an AI companion in a near-future New York where isolation has been seemingly eradicated; and “The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration and Discovery at the Dawn of AI,” by Dr. Fei-Fei Li, in which the Stanford computer scientist shares her personal journey and insights into the development and potential of AI.
The selections for younger readers are “Someday, Maybe” by Diana Murray, “ARTificial Intelligence” by David Biedrzycki and “The Wild Robot” by Peter Brown, which was recently adapted into a hit animated film. The middle school/YA selections are Lindsay Lackey’s “Farther Than the Moon” and the graphic novel, “The Infinity Particle” by Wendy Xu.
An array of Silicon Valley Reads events — including author talks, panel discussions, demonstrations, story times and more — will take place in February and March 2025. The full schedule should be available at siliconvalleyreads.org just after the new year.
SLIP INTO SOME SHORTS: When Bill Hargreaves and Sinohui Hinojosa launched the San Jose International Short Film Festival in 2009, we were in the relative infancy of YouTube and TikTok was still just the sound a clock made. But as the festival rolls out its 16th edition on Thursday at Santana Row, it’s pretty clear that shorts — which run anywhere from 2 to 30 minutes — have found their place in society.
The festival at the CineArts theater will feature more than 130 short films packaged in 20 screening blocks through Sunday. The opening night event, which starts at 7 p.m. includes a diverse selection of six films and will be followed by an after-party at Suspiro. You can get more information on the lineup and tickets at www.sjsff.com.