Deliberative Citizenship Initiative

Building Democracy One Conversation at a Time

Events

DCI Spring Program Announcement: Commons Conversations

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This spring, the DCI is partnering with Davidson faculty and staff to kick off a new iteration of our Commons Conversations program! Commons Conversations is a series of deliberative chats over lunch at Vail Commons and is open to all Davidson students. We have invited five faculty and staff members to host these conversations on topics relevant to their academic or professional expertise. At each session, these conversation hosts will briefly introduce the topic of conversation and share a few of their own insights on it. Students joining the lunch will then have an opportunity to discuss the topic with one another and the host in a conversation guided by our DCI Fellows, who are trained deliberation facilitators.

All Commons Conversations events will take place in the Vail Commons Annex. Meal swipes will be provided to all participants who are not on a full meal plan.

Below is our list of faculty and staff hosts that we have scheduled for this spring. A week or two before each Commons Conversation, we will share more information about the topic of conversation and how to register to attend (seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis).

We hope you’ll decide to join us for this series focused on the Davidson student community!

Friday, February 23, 11:15 am to 12:15 pm

Shelley Rigger, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty, Brown Professor of Asian Politics

Friday, March 22, 11:15 am to 12:15 pm

Patricio Boyer, E. Craig Wall, Jr., Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Humanities and Director of the Humanities Program | Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies

Thursday, April 4, 12:15 am to 1:15 pm

Byron McCrae, Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students

Thursday, April 18, 11:10 am to 12:10 pm

Shyam Gouri-Suresh, James W. Cannon Professor of Economics and Rizwan Zamir, Associate Professor of Religious Studies

Thursday, April 25, 11:10 am to 12:10 pm

Chris Clunie, Vice President & Director of Athletics

AI Deliberative Forum: View the Panel Recording & Deliberation Guide

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Forum participants deliberate at round tables

Earlier this week, the DCI hosted a Deliberative Forum on Artificial Intelligence in partnership with Davidson’s Computer Science Department, Digital Studies Department, and Office for Technology and Innovation. Together, we connected Davidson students, faculty, staff, alums, and members of the wider community to discuss how we should think about and interact with the advanced AI systems have been dominating our public discourse about tech since the public release of ChatGPT in November 2022.

Three panelists with very different kinds of AI expertise discussed how we should aim to realate to AI now and in the future. You can watch the whole panel discussion below. All in all, over 130 people participated in the forum, sharing their hopes and fears about the technology’s impact and deliberating together about the role of humans in a world that will be potentially fundamentally transformed by generative AI.

Damien Williams, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Data Science at UNC Charlotte spoke about how awareness of what biases, especially social biases, can arise in AI algorithm training impact the degree to which the outputs of these systems align with just goals and values. Lauren Kahn, Senior Research Analyst at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology discussed ways that AI applications can positively impact national security and state interests, the risks associated with them, and how to develop them with responsible speed. Richard Boyd, CEO of Ultism, talked about AI’s impacts on the private sector. All panelists touched on the importance of working on aligning AI systems with our values and interests, as well as the challenges associated with this task. The panel was moderated by Sara Copic, DCI Assistant Director and affiliate researcher of the UNC Chapel Hill AI Project.

Following the panel discussion, participants deliberated about AI ethics, standards, and policy. These discussion groups were guided by the DCI’s trained facilitators and included a mix of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members who were able to share their questions and thoughts about this new technology.

Forum participants deliberate at round tables

You can check out a short video of the small group discussions that participants engaged in the video below (less than one minute long). We used Canva’s AI Assistant to help generate the video, and we couldn’t resist leaving in the last two captions that it generated — watch until the end and we bet you’ll get a kick of out of it.

Participation in every DCI program includes access to a Deliberation Guide, a document that provides some background information and practical examples that enable people of all backgrounds to engage with the topics of our programs. Below, you can access our Deliberation Guide that we distributed as part of our Forum on Artificial Intelligence. Although our guides are intended to be used with the help of a trained facilitator, we hope that this document will spark interest for those looking for ways to deepen their understanding of how generative AI works and the special ethical and policy tradeoffs and challenges associated with this technology. If you missed this event, we also hope it will inspire you to participate in our future deliberative forums — we have one coming up on April 2 on Guns in America. More info coming soon…

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The DCI’s Spring Kickoff Party – Biggest Turnout Ever!

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Davidson students gathering at a round table discussion

This past Friday, the DCI started off the new year with some fantastic energy when it held its Spring Semester Kickoff Party. Over 50 people came out to enjoy some pizza and conversation about a wide range of topics. They included Davidson students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members, some of whom had never heard of the DCI and others who were DCI veterans.

Attendees filled up tables in the College Union’s Atrium that were dedicated to different topics – Davidson Issues, Technology and Social Media Issues, International Issues, US Politics, Economic Issues, and more. DCI Fellows facilitated informal discussions of questions related to each table’s topics, aided by copies of the DCI’s Conversation Agreements and Deliberative Dispositions that were available as placemats at each table. For the adventurous, there were a couple of “mystery tables” where questions from a wide range of domains were discussed.

Every 15 minutes or so, the DCI’s Faculty Director and Assistant Director spoke briefly about upcoming DCI events and offered some deliberative tips to the attendees. At each interlude, one attendee was randomly selected to win a prize from the DCI for attending the event. And then the conversations continued! Participants could stay at their table or switch between tables to try out different topics.

It was a great way for students to connect with each other as well as engage with faculty, staff, and community members. And everyone got to experience a deeper and more respectful kind of conversation than they might normally have in our highly polarized and politically fragmented society. It provided a window into what the DCI is focused on – building democracy, one conversation at a time – and a gateway to other DCI programs, including our Spring D Teams on Education Issues (registration deadline January 25) and upcoming Deliberative Forum on AI (registration deadline January 31).

A Deliberative Forum on Artificial Intelligence

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Are you curious about artificial intelligence (AI) and how it is reshaping our world? Our Deliberative Forum on AI is designed for all of us to deliberate about the important questions posed by the recent breakthroughs in this technology. Whether you’re a computer science expert, a die-hard humanities lover, a doomsayer, a techno-optimist, or just want to learn more about what AI is and how we should live with it going forward, we invite you to join us on Monday, February 5th from 5-7 PM in the Lilly Gallery in person (or via Zoom)!

Who is hosting the Deliberative Forum?

The Deliberative Citizenship Initiative is excited to be co-hosting this event with Davidson’s Office of Technology and Innovation, Computer Science Department, Digital Studies Department and the Bonner Scholars Program.

What can you expect at the Deliberative Forum?

We will have a panel discussion for the first hour of the forum, in which three panelists will discuss what they take to be the most promising and the most concerning aspects of AI today and in the future. Following the panel discussion, participants will have small group discussions that will be facilitated by our DCI Fellows.

Who will be there?

  • Damien Williams is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Data Science at the University of North Carolina – Charlotte. He studies philosophy, comparative religion, magic, artificial intelligence, human physical and mental augmentation, pop culture, and how they all relate. He teaches courses including Modeling and Society, Data and Society and Disability, Technology, and Artificial Intelligence, and much of his research focuses on the relationship between AI and bias as well as AI and consciousness. He has published articles on artificial intelligence in Wired, American Scientist, and the Journal of Responsible Innovation, among other outlets. Dr. Williams earned his PhD in Science, Technology, and Society at Virginia Tech and a Master of Arts in Philosophy and Religious Studies from Georgia State University.
  • Lauren Kahn is a Senior Research Analyst at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) focused on national security applications of artificial intelligence. Prior to CSET, she was a Research Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) within the National Security and Defense and Digital and Cyberspace Policy Programs, where she worked on defense innovation and the impact of emerging technologies on international security, with a particular emphasis on AI. Her work has appeared in outlets including Foreign Affairs, Lawfare, War on the Rocks, AI & Society, and the Journal forConflict Resolution, and has been featured in The Economist. Lauren holds a master’s in computer and information technology and a B.A. in international relations, both from the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Richard Boyd is a tech entrepreneur and expert on AI, machine learning, virtual worlds, computer gaming, and human/computer interfaces. He is the co-founder and CEO of AI and machine learning company Tanjo AI, which is dedicated to helping companies and individuals achieve a balance between human and machine effort and intelligence. Richard is also the co-founder and CEO of Ultisim Inc., a simulation learning company that utilizes gaming technology and AI. He works with a wide variety of industries including energy, healthcare, defense, education, and motion pictures, and he has been instrumental in creating several pioneering computer gaming companies including Red Storm Entertainment with author Tom Clancy; iRock Entertainment with Ozzy Osbourne; and Timeline Computer Entertainment with author Michael Crichton. 

  • Dr. Sara Copic, Assistant Director of the DCI, will be moderating the panel. Dr. Copic specializes in the philosophy of language with a focus on linguistic competence. She is an affiliate researcher of the UNC AI Project, and she will be teaching a WRI 101 course in the spring called, “AI: Its Nature and Significance,” which will focus on the ways large language models work, whether they can understand meaning, how this technology may be socially transformative, and what risks it may pose to humanity.

When and where is it happening?

The forum will take place on February 5, 2024 from 5-7 PM in the Lilly Gallery in Chambers Hall. There will also be a Zoom option.

How do I sign up?

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Sign up here (be sure to indicate if you are attending in person or via Zoom). We hope to see you there!

Join us for a DCI Spring Semester Kickoff Party!

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Kickoff-Party-Spring-2024

On Friday, January 19th from 5-7 pm, the DCI is hosting its Spring 2024 Kickoff Party! We will be in the Alvarez-Brown Atrium at the Alvarez College Union, and we welcome you to join us for an evening of connection, deliberation, and fun! We’ll have pizza, prizes, and some engaging deliberative activities in which you’ll be able to engage with members of our Davidson community on both local and national topics of concern. It’s a great way to kick off the new year and connect with others who are interested in building community and improving our public discourse.

This event is intended to bring together those who have already been involved with the DCI in some way with people who may not have had an opportunity yet to engage in our programming or would like to learn more about us. If you completed our Deliberation Facilitator Training in the past, have taken part in any of our Deliberative Forums or D Teams we would love for you to join us and help show others what the DCI is all about.

If you’ve never been to a DCI event or want to participate more but don’t know how to get involved, this is a perfect opportunity to learn more from the DCI community. Students, staff, faculty, community members, alums and family members are all welcome! We’ll share a bit about our plans for the upcoming semester – we’ve got some great events and activities on the calendar for 2024!

We hope you’ll decide to join us for our Kickoff Party! Feel free to drop in any time, bring a friend, and enjoy some free pizza! Registration is not required but an RSVP is appreciated for our planning purposes.