The UA College of Humanities continues its examination of the intersection of technology and humanities, with a slate of speakers, including UA President Robert C. Robbins, focused on the human aspects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The second annual Dorrance Lecture Series: Humanities Innovators in a Tech World, takes place June 3-5, with evening lectures in the Integrated Learning Center free and open to the public.

“Advanced technologies will continue to transform the world we live in, but as humankind faces grand challenges, finding appropriate ways to manage and use those technologies will still depend on human skills and human knowledge,” says College of Humanities Dean Alain-Philippe Durand. “As technological advances bring us closer to a digital future, the humanities remain a vital part of understanding the world and provide context for addressing and analyzing our changing world.”

Sponsored by the Dorrance Scholarship Programs, the symposium brings together outside thought leaders, COH faculty and students in the Dorrance Scholarship Programs for lectures and discussion about the intersection between the humanities and advanced technologies, like artificial intelligence and robotics.

In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the fusion of technologies is blurring the differences between the physical, digital and biological. Advances like artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning, genetic algorithms, collaborative commerce, additive manufacturing, spatial computing, and genetic engineering will impact the future, in ways both predictable and unpredictable.

The Dorrance Scholarship Programs sponsors not only the new series, but is a longtime supporter of students, awarding scholarships since 1999 to first-generation undergraduate college students in Arizona and Hawaii.

“Although the rise of exponentially expanding technology is disrupting industry, many employers, even in so-called high-tech fields, are emphasizing the importance of human skills: critical thinking, writing, teamwork, flexibility, intercultural competence. The role of the humanities in higher education has never been more important,” says James Hensley, Executive Director of the Dorrance Foundation for Education.

Bennett and Jacquelynn Dorrance both earned bachelor’s degrees in French from the UA in 1969 and were named the College of Humanities Alumni of the Year in 2012.

“I personally express my gratitude to Bennett and Jacquie Dorrance for their support of the College of Humanities and express excitement and thanks to President Robbins for his participation,” Durand says.

All talks are FREE and open to the public. Located in the Integrated Learning Center, room 120. (Suggested parking, Cherry Avenue Garage.) 

• June 3, 5:30 p.m.
  Neil Jacobstein
  Chair, Artificial Intelligence & Robotics, Singularity University
  AI Implications: Technical, Business & Ethical Questions Behind the Revolution
   
• June 4, 5:30 p.m.
  Autumn DiGaetano-Fedoruk
  Consumer Lending, Business Operations and Strategy, SoFi
  Humanities & High Tech: The Perfect Pairing
   
• June 5, 5:30 p.m.
  April Rinne
  Head of the World Economic Forum’s Sharing Economy Working Group
  Future Forward: Humanities, Leadership & The New Economy
  UA President Robert C. Robbins and April Rinne will have a conversation on stage immediately following April’s lecture.