NLC has been bringing great speakers to Cobourg and Port Hope Ontario since 2005.
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Just wrapped: Spring 2025
This eye-opening series was about much more than artificial intelligence. We explored how technology has changed humans, and the transformation we are experiencing in our own lives.
Our engaging speakers explored the impact of complex technology on practical things like education, privacy and health – but also on truth, wisdom and what it means to be human.
All this plus a hands-on workshop on how to use Chat GPT.
Find out about the speakers who participated below.
Wisdom in the Age of AI
Jesse Hirsh is a “futurist farmer” with a Masters degree in algorithmic media from Toronto Metropolitan University, for an insightful exploration of the rapid pace of technological change. He helped us discover what it truly means to be human in the digital age and learn the essential skills needed to thrive in this constantly evolving world.
Rethinking Education
In Platforms. Progress and Power, Dr. Rianka Singh, a media theorist and assistant professor of communication and media studies at York University, explored how to evaluate progress in the digital age, understanding the biases that run through digital platforms. These biases can result in unequal access to resources, discriminatory practices, and misinterpretation of information, impacting the education sector and beyond.
Data, Privacy and Surveillance
Is privacy possible anymore? Dr. David Lyon, Principal Investigator of the Big Data Surveillance Project and Former Director of the Surveillance Studies Centre and Queen's Research Chair in Surveillance Studies, examined the scope and impact of big data-dependent surveillance of communications.
Learn how to use Chat GPT
Technology advisor Sara Norton taught us some of the basic, free (or affordable), and easy-to-use tools that exist to get started with AI. She took us through activities, demonstrations, and common uses for AI in our personal or professional lives.
The Truth about Fact: Mis- & Dis-Information
In what has been called a world of “alternative facts,” can we discover the truth — or the facts about truth? Veteran Canadian journalist Kathy English shared insights about the disruption to the media and information ecosystem and the threat to Canada's democracy caused by the increasing scourge of global disinformation and misinformation. This talk created a better understanding of the need for information integrity and to share media literacy strategies.
Digital Health
Gemma Postill is the education co-lead at the Temerty Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Education in Medicine. Her research focused on identifying areas to use AI for interventions, advocacy, and strategic innovation. Among the examples she presented is an intervention that will allow older adults to remain at home in the long-term following traumatic injuries.
