Peter D. Hershock, East-West Center

Peter D. Hershock is an intercultural philosopher who makes use of Buddhist conceptual resources to address contemporary issues of global concern, with a focus of emerging technologies. Past Director of the Asian Studies Development Program, and currently Adjunct Senior Fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu, he is an Advisor to AI & Faith, and a founding member of Engaged Buddhists for Responsible AI. He is the author of more than fifty journal articles and book chapters, and the author or editor of more than fifteen books. His most recent books are: Buddhism and Intelligent Technology: Toward a More Humane Future (2021) and Consciousness Mattering: A Buddhist Synthesis (2023).

“Existential Risk or Evolutionary Opportunity? A Buddhist Reflection on AI and Human Freedom”

AI is rapidly becoming integral to societies worldwide and is poised to change everything from education and healthcare to politics and the global economy. The positive potentials of this are undeniable, as are the existential risks posed by artificial superintelligence. This talk will bring contemporary evolutionary theory into conversation with Buddhist consciousness theorizing to offer some critically hopeful reflections on turning existential risks into evolutionary opportunities and the improvisational labor that will be needed to align AI with human intentional freedom.