Fall 2026 Event Details
Eastern University’s distinctive lecture series, Windows on the World, features two or three dynamic speakers each semester. The purpose of Windows is to broaden the conversation on matters important to the pursuit of Faith, Reason, and Justice, by bringing renowned scholars to campus for a public lecture. Additionally, some speakers participate in special classes and workshops on campus. We have some exciting names lined up for the 2026-2027 academic year! Presentations are on Mondays (dates below) at 3 p.m., in McInnis Auditorium. They are sponsored by the Office of the Provost and open to the public.
December 7, 2026: Dave and Helen Edwards: Co-founders of the Artificiality Institute
“Stay Human: Authoring Your Mind in the AI Age”
Most of us use AI every day now, but few of us notice how it's changing the way we think. Helen and Dave Edwards share what their research shows about how people adapt to working with AI, and what it takes to stay the author of your own mind.
Helen and Dave Edwards are co-founders of the Artificiality Institute, a nonprofit research organization that studies what AI does to human minds, relationships and identity. The Edwards are also both Visiting Researchers at UC Berkeley's Center for Human-Compatible AI. Helen sits on the external advisory board of ARIA, the NSF AI Institute at Brown University. She also serves as a Commissioner on Oregon's Higher Education Coordinating Commission. Earlier in her career she was CIO of Transpower, New Zealand's national grid operator, and an executive at PG&E. Dave co-runs the annual Artificiality Summit in Bend, Oregon, and co-wrote Make Better Decisions with Helen. Before the Institute, Dave led software application product marketing at Apple, with products like Keynote, GarageBand and Final Cut Pro, and was a lead technology research analyst at Morgan Stanley covering the internet and cleantech.