Let's Talk About AI - Featuring Robert Todd

For the first time in our history, we have created a technology that can have an opinion about us. Opinions, as well as ideas and points of view, are the products of intelligence, and, until recently, we were the only intelligence in town. However, we are entering the Age of AI, of machine intelligence, and the choices we make about this incredible invention will have profound consequences for our species.

Robert Todd, one of UC Berkeley’s most popular OLLI instructors, will help us better understand this invention at Arts & Culture on Wednesday, June 4, at 7 p.m. Known for his wit and clear explanations, he briefly will discuss how AI was developed, what it can and cannot do, and what it means to have this new intelligence readily available. His illustrated presentation will include demonstrations of AI.

If you have dabbled with AI — using tools like Chat GPT, Claude, Grammarly, or Gemini — you will gain a deeper appreciation for the vast potential now at your fingertips. If you are blissfully unaware of what AI is and can do, you will leave with a tangible introduction and, hopes Robert, a desire to learn more.

Tickets for this program are $5 for club members and students and $10 for non-members. Please register early so we can be sure to accommodate everyone comfortably. 

“Robert is a remarkably knowledgeable and enthusiastic speaker,” says BCC member Susan Newman, who, along with several other members, is taking her third class from Robert. “All of us are quite excited by the course as well as his command of this rapidly changing field.”

For three decades, Robert has worked at the confluence of technology, learning, and human behavior. As a pioneer of e-learning in the late 1990s, he helped revolutionize the way people acquire knowledge. From 2006-2011, he was Global Director of Learning Technology at McKinsey & Company, where he built the firm’s first e-learning technology. At San Francisco State, he created some of the earliest online courses. His passion for leveraging technology to enhance education and change behavior also led him to leadership roles at organizations like DigitalThink, one of the first e-Learning companies to provide online mentors and tutors; and the professional networking site LikedIn. He currently splits his time as a lecturer on AI and advising a portfolio of AI-powered startups. 

In addition, Robert continually adds to his website, Rethinking Intelligence. In contains a mix of thought-provoking essays, practical information about AI tools, and a comprehensive list of references.

Reserve your seat early to hear why Robert asserts: “AI is humanity’s most consequential invention. ”