Past Events

Presentation by Thomas Homer-Dixon: The Architecture of Global Crises

Date:

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 - 14:30

Location:

FHI

The Architecture of Global Crises: Emergence of Synchronous Failure

Summary: Recent global crises exhibit an emerging architecture or pattern of causation that will increasingly characterize the birth and progress of crises in the future. I describe this causal pattern, called synchronous failure, using three archetypes of crisis in social-ecological systems. I then illustrate this claim with brief case studies of the 2008 financial-energy crises and the 2008 food-energy shock.

Agent Modelling Meeting

Date:

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 - 12:00

Location:

FHI

To everyone in Oxford interested in agent-based modelling,

We’ve noticed that there are a few people new to ABM, or perhaps have problems or applications which could be tackled with ABM, so we thought it is time to have another informal gathering to:
• see who’s working on what sorts of problems
• find out what software and packages are being used,
• see who has the expertise,
• create some new collaborations,
• assist those who are new to the technique,
• reinvigorate the network of existing informal contacts.

Panel Discussion: "Human and cognitive enhancement - do we want smarter, faster, better humans?"

Date:

Thursday, February 2, 2012 - 15:30

Location:

Oxford Martin School Old Indian Institute 34 Broad Street (corner of Holywell and Catte Streets) Oxford OX1 3BD

Advances in understanding how the brain works are rapidly leading to new possibilities for intervention in brain function. The ability of brains and machines to talk to each other directly is fast becoming a very real possibility, as is the possibility for whole brain emulation and machine intelligence. This raises profound ethical issues related to understanding behaviour and potentially manipulating it, so called ‘mind control’. Not only that, the economic consequences and security concerns that might be raised by different levels of capability require careful consideration.

Thesis competition:

Date:

Sunday, January 15, 2012 (All day)

Location:

FHI

The Future of Humanity Institute and the Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology are pleased to announce the winners of the Crucial Considerations for the Future of Humanity Thesis Abstract Competition.

From a large number of very high quality entries, the winning entry (receiving £2,000) was:
Nick Beckstead (Rutgers University) "Global Priority Setting and Existential Risk: Crucial Ethical Considerations"

James Martin Advanced Research Seminar

Date:

Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - 14:00

Location:

Oxford Martin School, 34 Broad Street, OX1 3BG

Speaker: Martin Dresler (Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich)

Title “Behavioural neuroenhancement: Brain training and mnemonics”

Addendum:

Inaugural Lecture of the Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology: Dr. Eric Drexler

Date:

Thursday, November 10, 2011 - 17:30

Location:

East Writing Room, Examination Schools

The Oxford Martin Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology is pleased to announce its Inaugural Lecture, titled “Exploring a Timeless Landscape: What physics tells us about the potential of advanced nanotechnologies, and why this points to an unexpected future”, to be given by pioneering nanotechnology researcher Dr. K. Eric Drexler. It will be held on the 10th of November, 2011 in the East Writing School Room of the Examination Schools, High Street, City of Oxford. The event begins at 5:30pm with the lecture beginning at 6pm sharp.

Dr Thomas Maillart: "Mechanisms of Internet evolution and cyber risks"

Date:

Wednesday, November 9, 2011 - 16:00

Location:

Oxford Martin School Old Indian Institute 34 Broad Street (corner of Holywell and Catte Streets) Oxford OX1 3BD

Speaker: Dr Thomas Maillart, Chair of Entrepreneurial Risks, ETH Zurich

James Martin Advanced Research Seminar

Date:

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 - 14:00

Location:

Seminar Room 1, Oxford Martin School, Old Indian Institute, 34 Broad Street, OX1 3BD

Killing it Softly: Regulation and Nanotechnology

Professor Pythagoras Petratos (Visiting Professor, ESCP; Said Business School)

Philosophy and Theory of Artificial Intelligence Conference

Date:

Monday, October 3, 2011 - 08:00

Location:

Thessaloniki, Greece

The Programme on the Impacts of Future Techology is pleased to be co-sponsoring the Philosophy and Theory of Artificial Intelligence Conference in Thessaloniki, Greece. The Conference is being organised by James Martin Research Fellow Vincent C. Müller.

Aims and Scope

The theory and philosophy of artificial intelligence has come to a crucial point where the agenda for the forthcoming years is in the air - this conference will try to set that agenda and to gather many of the key players.