The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want
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| Ticket Info: | Free |
| Open to Public: | No |
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Laura C. Harris Series Coordinator
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Denison’s Laura C. Harris Series welcomes coauthors Dr. Emily M. Bender and Dr. Alex Hanna discussing The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want. In this sharp, incisive work, Bender and Hanna take on the myth-making around artificial intelligence and uncover what’s really behind the glossy promises of “thinking machines.” With clarity and wit, they explain how AI hype is used to justify exploitative labor practices, surveillance capitalism, and the erosion of human creativity—all in service of a powerful few. This talk will explore how the language used to market AI distorts public understanding, fuels inequality, and helps Big Tech evade accountability. Bender and Hanna don’t just critique—they empower. The AI Con offers a toolkit for identifying and resisting hype in media, the workplace, policy discussions, and everyday life. Attendees will learn how to unpack misleading claims about AI, challenge narratives that displace human expertise, and envision a future where technology works for people—not just profit. Whether you’re a student, researcher, policy maker, or simply AI-curious, this event offers a vital and accessible conversation about reclaiming agency in the face of tech industry spin.
About Alex Hanna:
Dr. Alex Hanna is Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR) and a Lecturer in the School of Information at UC Berkeley. Trained as a sociologist, her work focuses on the ways data used in computational technologies reproduce and exacerbate racial, gender, and class inequality. She is widely published across top academic journals and conferences, and is also known for her research on social movements, particularly anti-racist campus protests. A recipient of numerous honors—including FastCompany’s Queer 50—Hanna is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Applied Transgender Studies and serves on several advisory boards promoting ethical tech and human rights. Alongside Dr. Bender, she co-hosts the Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 series, satirizing the myths surrounding AI in live shows and podcasts.
About Emily M. Bender:
Dr. Emily M. Bender is a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Washington, where she also holds adjunct appointments in Computer Science and the Information School. A leading voice in the public discourse around AI, Bender is known for groundbreaking work in computational linguistics and critical AI analysis. She is co-author of influential papers like “On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots”, which sparked global debate about the ethics of large language models. Through her public scholarship, Bender translates complex technical issues into clear, accessible insights, challenging misconceptions about what so-called “AI” systems actually do. In recognition of her contributions, she was elected a Fellow of the AAAS and named to the inaugural TIME100 AI list in 2023. With The AI Con, she continues her mission to expose the realities behind the tech industry’s most seductive narratives.
