ICELW 2019 is delighted to feature Meredith Broussard, noted researcher and data journalist, and author of Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World; and renowned cognitive psychologist, author, and podcaster Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D., whose books include Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind, as our keynote speakers. Additional information is below.

Meredith Broussard

Assistant Professor, Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute,
New York University
New York, NY, USA

Talk: Artificial Unintelligence

Our collective enthusiasm for applying computer technology to every aspect of life has resulted in a vast number of poorly designed systems. We are so eager to do everything digitally—hiring, driving, paying bills, even choosing romantic partners—that we have stopped demanding that our technology actually work.

In this talk, author and professor Meredith Broussard looks at the inner workings and outer limits of technology, and explains why we should never assume that computers always get things right. Making a case against "technochauvinism"—the belief that technology is always the solution—Broussard looks at why self-driving cars don't really work and why social problems persist in every digital Utopia. If we understand the limits of what we *can* do with technology, Broussard tells us, we can make better choices about what we *should* do with it inside and outside the classroom to make the world better for everyone.

About Meredith Broussard
Meredith Broussard is an assistant professor at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University and the author of Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World. Her research focuses on artificial intelligence in investigative reporting, with a particular interest in using data analysis for social good. Her newest project explores how future historians will read today's news on tomorrow's computers. She is an affiliate faculty member at the Moore Sloan Data Science Environment at the NYU Center for Data Science, a 2019 Reynolds Journalism Institute Fellow, and her work has been supported by the Institute of Museum & Library Services as well as the Tow Center at Columbia Journalism School. A former features editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer, she has also worked as a software developer at AT&T Bell Labs and the MIT Media Lab. Her features and essays have appeared in The Atlantic, Harper's, Slate, and other outlets. Follow her on Twitter @merbroussard or contact her via meredithbroussard.com.

Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D.

Psychologist at Barnard College,
Columbia University
New York, NY, USA

Talk: The New Science of Self-Actualization

Abraham Maslow, the founder of the field of humanistic psychology, suggested that psychology should focus on what was positive, or best in human beings (in contrast with his contemporaries in behaviorist and psychoanalytic traditions, which were very negatively focused). He is perhaps best known for his hierarchy of needs, in which he proposed a number of needs that are important to satisfy to a reasonable degree before one can reach self-actualization, the fulfillment of one’s highest unique potential. Many of Maslow’s ideas have never been systematically tested, however. In this session, Scott Barry Kaufman discusses his research on the characteristics of self-actualizing people, as well as his attempts to reimagine the famous hierarchy of needs in light of recent scientific research. Kaufman hopes his research offers a counterbalance to an overemphasis on achievement and productivity that is so prevalent in society today.

About Scott Barry Kaufman
Scott Barry Kaufman is a psychologist at Barnard College, Columbia University exploring the depths of human potential (see research). Dr. Kaufman embraces a humanistic, integrative approach that takes into account a wide range of human variation–- from learning disabilities to intellectual and creative giftedness to introversion to narcissism to twice exceptionality–- to help all kinds of minds live a creative, fulfilling, and meaningful life. Scott likes to share his enthusiasm for these topics through his teaching, writing, speaking, and podcast. He writes the weekly column Beautiful Minds for Scientific American and hosts The Psychology Podcast, which has received over 7 million downloads. In Spring 2019, Kaufman is teaching the course The Science of Living Well at Columbia University. Kaufman’s writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Psychology Today, and Harvard Business Review, and his books include Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined, Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind (with Carolyn Gregoire), and, as editor, Twice Exceptional: Supporting and Educating Bright and Creative Students with Learning Difficulties and The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence. Scott received a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Yale University, and an M. Phil in experimental psychology from the University of Cambridge under a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. In 2015, he was named one of "50 Groundbreaking Scientists who are changing the way we see the world" by Business Insider.